Quercus Alba
by Swagger86
Summary: Continues after episode 15 of season 3 after Rebekah and Klaus find out that there is another white oak in the greater Mystic Falls area.  The race to find the ultimate weapon begins.


THE VAMPIRE DIARIES

FAN FICTION

EPISODE I

QUERCUS ALBA

WRITTEN BY

SWAGGER86

* * *

><p>Klaus paces around the living room, staring at the display of Rebekah's cell phone. On the display is Elena, standing in the cave with Esther's coffin, scared out of her skin. But for a change, Klaus doesn't care about her. What has got his complete and undying attention is in the background, sketched all over the cave wall with a pasty white paint. The calendar and the white tree. The tree.<p>

"How is that possible?" Klaus shouts, furious.

Even though he is a thousand years old, right now he is nothing more but a terrified little boy, pacing up and down his living room. He's equally upset too which is not a good combination if you're a hybrid. Even more so if that hybrid is Klaus. He gets angry, hearts get ripped out.

"There was nothing left!" He rants on in desperation. "We tore that tree apart, ripped the roots out of the ground, burned it to ashes! How is that possible?"

In an outburst of total rage, he throws the cell phone. It heads straight toward Rebekah who leans to the side in the last moment. The phone flies past her, smashes against the wall behind and shatters into dust. She quivers in her shoes. This is the first time she had ever seen Klaus this furious. The situation alone is daunting. Klaus going bat shit doesn't boost her confidence.

She shifts her gaze at the fireplace, thoughts pondering. Her frisk attitude is no longer there. Her hatred for Elena is now yesterday's hobby. Now, she's facing the very possible reality of death. Regardless if you're twenty, hundred or a thousand years old, that is not an easy thought to process. The red flames dance above the wood, turning what were not long ago Klaus's drawings into a thin layer of black paper getting ready to shatter into ashes.

It's a foreboding sight.

"We have to find it." She says with a soft whisper, like her thoughts had escaped her tongue.

"You think!" Klaus says, still in screaming mode.

"Yes, I do!" Rebekah shouts at him. "What do you think the Salvatore brothers would do if they found that tree? What do you think their first thought would be, huh?"

Rebekah with an attitude is back. She stands tall and proud, little bit crazy too. It runs in the family. Her valid point catches Klaus's attention. He gathers himself, gets his nearly derailed train of thoughts back on track. And with it comes the first rough draft of what will soon become a more elaborate plan on how to deal with this threat. But first things first.

"I'm sorry, Rebekah." He says with his gloomy big brother voice. He walks up to her, takes her hands into his and looks her in the eye. "You're right."

Rebekah produces an uneasy smile. Feels nice to be appreciated.

"Stefan believes the last of the white oak was used to kill our father." Klaus voices his plot. "As long as we keep it that way, we're at an advantage. We will find it. We will find it and we will burn it to the ground. This time for good."

His composed words comfort Rebekah even more. But at the same time, both of them realize that this is easier said than done. Finding a single tree in a state of Virginia is the equivalent of looking for a specific needle in a haystack of identical needles, in pitch black. Not exactly a walk in the park.

"We'll need help." Rebekah says.

"Yes, we will. I'll take care of that. But for now, we keep this to ourselves." Klaus looks at her, suspicion in his eyes literally glows. "Not a word to Elijah, I don't trust him with this. If he found out about the white oak, there is no telling what he would do."

"He'll suspect us." Rebekah begins, clearly concerned about lying to Elijah. "He'll suspect me. I can't lie to him like you can, Nik."

"You won't have to." Klaus comforts her. "He's leaving soon. And as for the white oak goes, don't worry about that either. I'll take care of it. I'll take care of everything."

His face transforms into a confidence inducing yet equally diabolical smile. The scared little boy is gone. The usual Klaus is back. The big brother. The man with a plan. And as usual, he is up to no good.

Just another day in Mystic Falls.

* * *

><p>Damon stands in what passes as a living room in this big ass boarding house. He hears something in the back, uses the moment to sniff the air. And that is all it takes for him to know that he's not alone. Not only that, he knows who's there.<p>

"Google _knocking_." He says. "It's an ancient art known as common courtesy. Proper young lady such as yourself ought to be well versed in such manners."

Elena stands in the living room behind him. She's not in the mood for Damon's stabs. This is more than just a social call. She wants to clear things out.

Damon turns around, equally glad and annoyed to see her, but he keeps both of those to himself. He stands in his usual _I'm sexy and I know it_ posture. Shirt wide open, cocky glimmer in his eye, glass of bourbon in his hand. Elena notices _him_, but she quickly gathers her thoughts. She's here for a reason.

"Really, Damon?" She gestures at the glass in his hand. "It's barely 9 AM."

"Drinking is not a time limited activity." Damon says, throws a _cheers_ gesture toward Elena and takes a decent sip finished with a deliberately loud _ahhh_.

Elena frowns. She likes the good Damon more, but all signs point to that he is long gone. The bad old Damon is back. The one who enjoys irritating people just for the hell of irritating them. Old school Damon.

"What do you want?" He asks, feigning lack of interest.

"I wanna talk to you." Elena say.

"You wanna talk or do you wanna have _the talk_?" Damon asks. "The former being a casual conversation while the later being the kind where you express your lack of approval for all the naughty things I've done lately."

"A little bit of both, if you don't mind." She answers.

"Something tells me if I say no, you're gonna talk anyway." He looks at her. The answer presents itself. Elena defiantly nods her head. This conversation is happening, weather Damon likes it or not.

He doesn't.

"Look, Damon. I just wanna clear things up." She says. "Is that so much to ask?"

"There's nothing to clear." Damon jumps in before she can go on. "I made myself clear, you did the same. Chapter closed. Moving on."

"No, Damon. You're not moving on." She gestures at the drink in his hand. "This is not moving on. This is your way of coping. Trying to kill Kol at the ball, sleeping with Rebekah, killing Bonnie's mom..."

"No!" Damon abruptly interrupts her. "That was me keeping you alive."

"At what cost?" Now Elena raises her voice.

"I don't care about the cost!" Damon answers in a beat.

This is the first honest thing he said all morning. It hits Elena where it matters. Just about everyone involved in this inner circle of vampires is aware of how Damon feels, Elena included. She had heard him say it at the ball. That didn't pan out so well. That's why she's here. But now, with a cool head, hearing Damon say this, it makes her realize what she had done to him.

"Maybe you should care." She says and it catches his attention. "Because if you don't, you'll lose everyone who cares about you."

This hits Damon in a way neither of them thought possible.

"I should care?" He repeats her words in disbelief. Elena notices that her last bit hit him hard. He starts walking toward her, eyes piercing right through her. She backs up, but he keeps coming.

"I changed who I was for YOU." He keeps coming. Elena keeps moving back.

"I went out of my way to keep YOU safe." He's still coming. Elena keeps moving away. Running out of room.

"I risked my life for YOU." He's coming like Kubrick's Johnny. Elena moves back, approaching the wall. She has nowhere to go. Damon closes in. He's literally in her face. And now she's really scared. Because he looks like he could do just about anything.

"I tell you I love you." He says, lowering his voice to a whisper. "And you dare to tell me I don't care."

Elena shivers.

Out of the blue, Damon swings. He crushes the glass full of bourbon against the wall, right next to Elena's head. She screams, scared. Some of the glass and alcohol spray on her but most of the pieces cut deeply into Damon's hand. He's bleeding. But none of it phases him. He doesn't even blink. He just stares at her.

Long beat goes by.

Elena is speechless, trembling, unable to breath. Damon is still in her face, mixture of anger and pain in his expression. He can sense her fear. Part of him knows he went overboard, but if he admits it, he will render his point mute. Instead, he takes a step back.

"Get out." He says with that bone chilling whisper.

He turns around and walks away. Elena finally manages to take a breath. Tears come to her eyes but she fights them. She takes a few more deep breaths, calms her heart beat. And she walks out of the house.

Silence takes the reign.

Damon walks up to the window. He pulls a few big chunks of glass out of his hand. Within seconds, the cuts closes, leaving nothing but blood on his hand. Damon take a new glass, pours himself a heavy duty shot of bourbon and gulps it down.

He's unaware that Stefan is watching him from the balcony. He heard everything. He keeps watching Damon, knowing exactly where his mind is right now. But no words Stefan can tell would make any difference. One theory has been proven right, again.

Damon cares.

* * *

><p>Abby stands in the shadow next to the window. The curtains are slightly open, just enough to let a thin wall of sunlight burst in the room. The old <em>sun is the sun, it's big, round and warm<em> perspective that has been in place since the day she was born no longer applies. She has a new perspective. More volatile one.

She examines her hand, thinking about it. Oh, well. Why not. She slowly extends it toward the gap in the curtains. The closer she gets, the slower she extends, expecting a sizzling inferno. The sun finally hits the tips of her fingers and she immediately retracts her hand. Reflex more than anything. But she didn't hold it long enough, so she goes again. One inch at a time, until her hand hits the light. But nothing happens.

Bonnie stands at the doorway of the bedroom. She didn't want anything to do with Abby but now that they've spent some time together, she became used to having her around. She looks at her with sorrow in her eyes. This woman is going through a terrible ordeal of becoming what she was born to keep in check. Ain't life a bitch.

Abby gathers all her confidence and steps in the light. Her eyes closed, as if she's expecting to burst into flame. But it doesn't happen. She slowly opens her eyes, looks outside the window. People are walking about their business, kids are playing, life moves on. This is something she'll never be able to do again. Her eyes begin to burn.

"How are you feeling?" Bonnie asks.

"Hungry." Abby answers after thinking about it. "To be honest, that's all I've been thinking about since I woke up. I'm constantly hungry, my head feels woozy, I can hear things I'm not supposed to hear and my gums feel like they're vibrating."

Bonnie doesn't know what to say to this. But Abby's mind races elsewhere. Something else is on her mind. Something far more worrisome than upcoming dental problems.

"I'll have to..." Abby stops in the middle of the sentence. This is hard to accept. "I'll have to drink blood, in order to turn. I don't think I can do that. I don't think I can become one of them. I don't want to."

She looks at Bonnie with the look of someone without hope. As simple as that decision might seem, to a witch, it's anything but. Bonnie walks up to her and takes her hands. She puts on a brave face for her mother.

"Yes, you can." Bonnie uses her confidence inspiring voice. "Caroline felt the same way. And now look at her."

Caroline stands in the doorway. She throws an awkward _hello_ wave, smiles in a way only Caroline can. This hits a bit too close to home for her. Not long ago, she was in Bonnie's shoes, watching her father deal with the same problem.

"Everything is gonna be alright." Caroline steps in the room. She wants to help. "First few days are hard, but once you get control over your senses, it becomes easier. Before you know it, you'll be your old self."

Abby forces a smile. "I won't be _walking on sunshine_ anymore."

That puts a smile on everyone's faces.

"I can enchant a lapis lazuli ring for you. You'll be able to dance on the sunshine if you feel like it." Bonnie says.

Abby looks Bonnie in the eye. Estranged mother and daughter are in a position where they only have each other. Both of them slip a tear from their eye. Bonnie is slowly loosing it. There's been enough loss on her end. As estranged as these two may be, she don't want their newly formed relationship to end.

"I just got you back." Bonnie barely says. "I can't lose you."

Abby brings her closer. They hold each other like mother and daughter should. Caroline watches them, now crying along with them. Abby sighs, makes a decision.

"I'm not going anywhere." She says.

Bonnie looks at her, relieved. They smile at each other. Both of them thinking the exact same thing. _It's gonna be okay._ Suddenly, Abby realizes something. She checks her neck, starts going through her pockets. But to no avail.

"What is it?" Bonnie asks.

"Have you seen my necklace?" She asks, looks around the room.

"What necklace?" Bonnie asks, confused.

"It was a gift from Grams. It had a blue lapis lazuli stone on it." Abby responds. "If you're gonna enchant anything, it might as well be that necklace."

"Are you sure you had it on you?" Bonnie asks.

"Yes, I never take it off. I had it last night when." Abby realizes. "The witch house. It must have fallen off when." It's hard to finish that sentence.

It must have fallen off when Damon killed her.

"I'll go look for it later." Bonnie says. "But there is something else we need to do first."

Bonnie gives a look at Caroline. She produces a blood bag from her purse. Abby looks at it. She swallows a noodle. Is it that time already? Doubt creeps in her mind.

"Where did that come from?" She asks, looking at the blood.

"Stefan came by last night." Bonnie says. "He said he knows it wouldn't mean much but he's sorry for the way things turned out."

Abby is not touched by the _sorry_. She looks at the blood bag. Caroline hands it to Bonnie who has reservations of her own. Abby and Bonnie spend a very long moment staring at it. Drinking that liquid is a disgusting thought. But Abby gathers her strength. She takes the bag away from Bonnie, her face saying _let's just get this over with_. She unscrews the small cap at the top and takes a deep breath.

"Here goes nothing." She says and takes a sip.

* * *

><p>Mystic Grill is packed with customers.<p>

Matt walks in the back of the Grill with a trey full of dirty dishes. One would think several broken fingers would warrant a day off, but he can't afford it. One hand or no hand, he needs this job. Even with his impediment, there is no lack of diligence. He notices two garbage bags at the back door of the Grill, just waiting for someone to take them to the dumpster. Matt being Matt, he takes the chore on himself. Besides, it beats washing dishes with your left hand.

He grabs the bags and heads out the back door. The alley is narrow, walled in by the back of Mystic Grill and the back of the building across the alley. Two dumpsters line the far wall. Matt lowers the garbage bags on the ground and opens the dumpsters. He throws one bag at a time. Just as he turns around, he jumps startled.

Kol is standing in front of him with that devilish smile that always seems to decorate his face. Matt is immediately uncomfortable, even more afraid. He looks down the alley but there is no one there. He looks over Kol's shoulder toward the main street. He sees some people lingering around, talking.

"Which do you think is more likely to happen?" Kol interrupts Matt's train of thoughts. "You calling for help, or me ripping your throat out before you even make a sound?"

Matt knows it useless. "What do you want?"

"I'm on my way out of town, so I figured I might as well finish what we've started, since I won't be coming back anytime soon." Kol answers cheerfully. "If you recall, our encounter at the ball was forcefully interrupted. It was rather painful, if I might add. For both of us."

Matt glances at his bandaged right hand, his broken fingers. Oh, he knows what Kol is talking about.

Kol makes a small step toward Matt who has nowhere to go. Running down the alley won't do him much good. Kol will catch him without breaking a sweat. Fighting him is an option but an equally futile one. His fate is not in his hands. Bummer.

Kol keeps slowly approaching Matt, building up the suspense and trying to drain every ounce of fear out of him. But Matt accepts the fact his actions won't determine the outcome of this. He stands tall, refuses to show any more fear to this original limp dick spoiled little piece of shit brat. He looks Kol straight in the eyes, defiant.

"You have some spark in you, Matt Donovan. I'll give you that." Kol says, amused by Matt's _bravery_. "Maybe that's why she likes you."

"What are you talking about?" Matt asks, confused.

"Rebekah." Kol answers, now getting really close. "Don't be flattered, though. A lot of men have been through her garments. You wouldn't be the first nor the last mortal to play in that park."

Matt swings and lands a solid left handed cross on Kol's jaw. The hit was more to get Kol to back off than a reaction to what he's saying about his sister. Either way, it hurts Matt more than it hurts Kol. He just grins at the attempt. Loves it when the _prey_ fights back.

"Defending her honor. How old school of you."

In a blink of an eye, Kol grabs Matt by his neck. He lifts him up with such ease it looks like he's lifting a cardboard cutout and not a full grown quarterback of the high school football team. Matt struggles, legs dangling. He can't breathe under the grip. He tries to pry Kol's fingers off his neck but that's not gonna get him anywhere.

"If only you were born in a different time." Kol teases. "But not all of us can live forever. You certainly can't."

Kol throws Matt as easy as if he were a softball. Matt slams the back wall of the Grill with his back and gets the air knocked out of his lungs. He falls on the ground and lands on his broken fingers. The bandage he had in place gets torn up. He groans but the moment he hears himself, he swallows the pain. He won't give Kol the satisfaction.

"Crying shame." Kol says, graciously approaching downed Matt. "This would have been far more entertaining if you could actually put up a fight."

Kol grabs Matt up by his shirt and pushes him against the wall. He holds one hand against Matt's throat barely allowing him to breathe. With his other hand, he moves Matt's head to the side, revealing his neck. He can see the blood pumping through the vein. That sets him off. His face transforms into his vampire likeness. Fangs, eyes, the whole nine yards. Matt freaks out, tries to wrestle free, hits Kol with his left hand. But no joy.

"One for the road." Kol says and moves in for the bite.

The hit is something straight out of a football game. It comes with a whoosh, somewhere from the side. And my God is it strong.

In the same moment, Kol drops Matt and literally leaves the ground. He flies into the dumpsters, bounces off and falls awkwardly on the ground. Face first. Ouch. This kind of mishap would leave a human being in a coma. But Kol quickly shakes it off, jumps back on his feet. The cuts on his forehead and face immediately heal. He is pissed to say the least. As he looks up, he sees the culprit. He can't believe it . It's actually a her.

"Rebekah?" Kol says, blown away by the realization.

"What are you doing? " She barks at Kol.

"Figured I'd say goodbye to your boyfriend before I leave." Kol answers. Cocky smirk comes back on his face.

"Leave while you can still walk." Rebekah says with a voice that would make the bravest of men uncomfortable.

Kol scoffs at her threat. He steps forward. The glove has been thrown. Rebekah's presence is a challenge he was yearning for, the way to make this game more entertaining. What better way to poke fun at his sister than by doing it in front of her eyes. He heads for Matt, but Rebekah put herself between them. She sees this as an opportunity to give her brother a well over due piece of her mind. Her face transforms, eyes go fury red, fangs out. She makes the cutest growl.

And it works. Kol stops dead in his tracks. This is not fun anymore. His own sister is not playing along. To say that he's both disappointed and shocked by her actions is an understatement.

"You would fight your brother over that?" He nods at Matt, who uses the wall to slowly rise on his feet.

"He's more than you'll ever be, Kol." Rebekah answers, not sure where that came from.

Matt gets on his feet, looks at the duel of siblings. He is dumbfounded.

"How low you have fallen, sister." Kol says, shaking his head at Rebekah's caprice. He looks at Matt who is finally on his feet. Bruised up, hurt but still alive. "How low indeed."

He turns and starts walking. In a blink of an eye, he's gone.

Rebekah turns to Matt who looks down the alley. With Kol gone, Matt sighs in relief. He turns to Rebekah, mouths to say something but instead, he grunts. The bandage on his hand is completely torn apart, there are few deep scratches on his forearm and they're bleeding.

"Are you okay?" Rebekah asks, stepping closer to him.

Matt looks at her face. He immediately pulls back, startled. Rebekah realizes she still has her _vampire face_ on. She pulls away, takes a few deep breaths and gets herself under control. And just like that, the normal (being loosely defined) Rebekah is back. She looks at him, feeling sorry and responsible at the same time.

"I'm sorry." She apologizes for her vampire face.

She tries again. Makes another step toward Matt. This time, it's calculated. Slow and smooth. Matt doesn't back up, but it's clear he is unsure what to think. The well mannered side of him knows what is due. Regardless of what just happened being the fault of her brother, she did just save his life. He won't stay blind to that.

"Thank you." He says through his teeth.

"Let me help you with that." Rebekah bites her wrist, blood pours out. She offers Matt to drink but he immediately pulls away. She's somewhat taken aback. "It's okay. One sip and the pain will go away."

"One accident, and I become like you." He says. "Thanks, but no thanks."

His tone, albeit accidental, hits Rebekah where it hurts. _Like her. No thanks_.

Matt walks away, distressed because of the whole event. Rebekah watches him as he struggles to open the back door of the Grill. He somehow manages the task and walks inside. She has every right to feel insulted, but that is not the case. She invited Matt to the ball, she told Kol she wants to kill him to hurt Elena, it is her fault Kol came calling. For once, this mentally unstable and severely insecure little thousand years old girl feels a human emotion.

Guilt.

* * *

><p>Klaus is busy.<p>

The table in front of him is full of maps and books, old and new. They lie scattered across the entire table. A mess. One book takes the center stage. It is open on a page with a huge ash colored tree. Quercus Alba, the white oak. Klaus is in the process of narrowing down his search area and by the looks of him, it is not going well. Ergo, frustrated Klaus.

Elijah appears at the doorway of the living room. He wasn't trying to be stealthy, but Klaus is so focused on his work he didn't even notice his brother.

"Niklaus." Elijah greets per his decorum.

Klaus slowly covers his work, more precisely, the opened book. He does it in a subtle manner, doesn't want to attract attention to it. But Elijah doesn't care for it.

"I thought you and Kol had left town already." Klaus says.

"Not yet." Elijah walks in the room. "Kol is resolving some unfinished business and I am yet to decide where to go."

He passes next to the table, throws a glance at the maps and books. Nothing about him shows he is interested in any of it. But he is interested in the mini-bar. He pours himself a glass of Johnny Walker. He takes a measured sip.

"If memory serves, Spain is lovely this time of year." Klaus says.

He uses the moment to glance at the table, just to make sure there is nothing visible that may hint Elijah as to what he is doing. The book with the picture of the white oak he tried to cover is still exposed.

"What are you doing?" Elijah nods at the books.

"Reading." Klaus answers casually.

"About what?"

"Mystic Falls."

"Anything interesting?"

"Enough to kill the time." Klaus says, aware of the ambiguity of his answer.

That cheeky smile of his is a tell. Elijah wants to discuss something but he doesn't know how to initiate the conversation. But Klaus knows his brother. He can see Elijah is troubled by something.

"What's wrong, Elijah?" He asks, quite sincere.

"What are we, Niklause?" Elijah asks.

"Brothers." Easy question. Next, please.

"What else?" Not the one Elijah was looking for.

"What troubles you, Elijah?" Klaus wants to jump to the point.

"Does it not trouble you that our own mother tried to kill us, Niklause? Does it not make you wonder?" Elijah asks.

"She tried and failed." Klaus says, clearly not giving it the same amount of thought as Elijah. "What's there to wonder about?"

"I'm not distressed with the result as much as I am with the motive. What would push a mother to murder her own children? What kind of children have we become for her to even contemplate such a solution?" Elijah says.

"She's been dead for over a thousand years, Elijah." Klaus answers, already getting bored by the topic. "You heard what she said. You know how she feels about us. In her eyes, we've become…"

"Monsters?" Elijah coldly finishes the sentence. If Esther's spell was his point, then the monsters bit is the center of it. This is really bothering him.

"Her words, brother. Not the truth." Klaus says.

"How is that?" Elijah asks.

"Because she made us!" Klaus says, suddenly getting frustrated about the subject. "It was her idea to turn us into vampires! We are not to blame that she had forgotten to read the fine print on that spell. We did not choose to be the enemies of the sun! We did not choose to feed on blood to survive! It was her spell! It was her fault! I am not going to lose sleep because she developed a conscience!

Klaus gathers himself. He approaches Elijah. He whispers with disdain.

"She is the monster, brother. Not us."

"She wanted to make us humans again." Elijah adds another point. "She wanted to give us a normal life."

"Normal life?" Klaus is flabbergasted by this.

"We. Are. Immortal." He adds. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Klaus goes back to his books. He doesn't care if Elijah sees them. This conversation upset him. Elijah calmly finishes his glass of whiskey, sets it down on the mini-bar tray and glance as Klaus.

And there it is, in his eyes. Barely noticeable glint, but it is there. He came to see Klaus for a reason. He wanted to have this exact conversation. He wanted to hear where Klaus stands. Even though a part of him was hoping for a different outcome, the other part knew what was going to happen.

Spain may indeed be beautiful this time of year, but it makes no difference. Elijah lied. He is not leaving Mystic Falls. Far from it.

* * *

><p>Matt sits down at a desk in the far corner of the Grill. It's far away from customers so no one can see him. That suits him just fine. He sets the first aid kit on the table and opens it. First, he patches up the fresh cuts. He wipes the blood and puts adhesive bandage over them. Now comes the painful part.<p>

He removes the half torn bandage covering his broken fingers. Even the slightest touch on those fingers hurts like hell, and he landed on them. His face bends in anguish as he gently removes the old bandage and exposes his fingers to the sight. They're slightly swollen, but what's worse, they're decorated with unhealthy colors. Purple, bluish and a little green. Just the sight of them hurts.

Matt pulls a fresh roll of bandage out of the kit. He uses his left hand to the best of his abilities but it's not going well. He starts wrapping the bandage around his broken fingers, but it's too lose. The bandage falls off. He sighs, already knows this will be frustrating. He rerolls the bandage and starts over. Wraps, wraps, wraps, falls off. Again, rerolls the bandage, starts over, wraps, wraps, wraps, falls off again. He sighs.

"Can I help you?" Rebekah asks, suddenly standing next to him. Matt looks up, honestly surprised she is still around.

"No, thanks. I don't want vampire blood in my system." Matt says with his polite voice. He turns back to his bandage. Rerolls, starts over, wraps, wraps, wraps, and falls off. But it doesn't stop him.

Rebekah watches him go through it. There is a mixture of sadness and admiration in her eyes. Every time he fails, he takes a breath, rerolls the bandage and starts over. She would have lost her nerve by now. She never had to deal with bandages or injuries of any kind. If someone had broken her fingers, they would have snapped back into place within seconds. Easy as breathing. But not for Matt.

He already did the reroll. He's wrapping again. Wraps, wraps, wraps, oh look, it falls off again. He takes a slightly longer pause now. She can't help but to wonder how this kid manages to stay in one piece after everything that has happened to him. Any other human would break under only a few of the problems that struck him. But not this guy. Parents non-existent, sister dead, lives alone, gets through life the same way, goes out of his way to help his friends with their abnormal problems even though his life is anything but easy, and on top of all that, someone just tried to kill him. Rebekah has had a difficult life, but she has had one thousand years to have it. Matt Donovan is seventeen, and he had already lived through worse.

But he still rerolls that bandage and starts over.

Rebekah is hit by this in the way she couldn't predict. She sits down across from him. Matt looks at her, not sure if he can form another polite sentence to tell her he doesn't need her help. Strike that, doesn't want her help. But Rebekah doesn't give him the chance to come up with one.

She takes the bandage from him, rolls it up. With surprising care, she takes his broken hand and pulls it closer. Her touch alone resonates between both of them. There is an awkward moment between them.

Then she begins gently wrapping the bandage, more careful with each turn so she wouldn't press on his fingers. Matt looks at her. This is the first time he had seen her do something for someone else without an agenda on the side. At least nothing he can see. For once, he sees Rebekah Mikaelson for who she truly is, or could be. And this is just a glance.

"Is that too tight?" Rebekah asks. Matt moves his hand around. It hurts but it's surprisingly well bandaged.

"No. It's perfect." He says.

That awkward moment is back. Their eyes meet and it lasts for longer than either of them thought it might. Rebekah is _touched_ with the way Matt looks at her. Right now, there is a sense of distance in his eyes, but also confusion. And it gets to her.

"You probably hate me, don't you?" She asks, already expecting the answer to be yes.

"I don't hate you." Matt answers, but his honesty trait springs up. "I just forget what you are sometimes."

"What I am?" She says, remembering what Elijah told her. "A monster."

A part of her feels he was right. The way Matt is looking at her brings that part out of her. She looks away, can't stand that honesty drawing look in his eyes. Can't stand to be seen as a monster. Not by one person who for no reason showed her kindness.

Matt realizes he hurt her feelings. He can't have that. He reaches over the table, set on making it right. He put his hand on his. Rebekah looks at him.

"People run away from monsters, don't they?" He says. "You see me running?"

Rebekah's face slightly lights up.

"Running wouldn't do you much good, anyway." She says, turning the conversation into less serious waters.

"How about garlic?" Matt says, drawing a smile on Rebekah's face.

"We are who we choose to be." Matt says, switching back to serious mode. "And you chose to help me. That makes you anything but a monster."

She looks at him with those big blue eyes. A smile permanently stuck on her face. This human is not like the others. Not at all.

Bonnie and Caroline walk in the witch house. Both of them feel uncomfortable. Caroline hates it because it's abandoned, away from town and downright creepy. Bonnie's reason is more to the point. Last night, her mother was killed in here.

"This place gives me the creeps." Caroline squeezes out, watching around the house.

"You might want to keep your voice down." Bonnie replies. "I'm sure the witches didn't hear you."

Caroline quickly covers her mouth, looks around. _Did they hear me?_

But Bonnie doesn't answer. She heads downstairs to the basement. Caroline quickly follows. She doesn't want to be left alone in this house. The main basement hallway branches off to six rooms on both sides. But since Abby was killed in the first room, Bonnie immediately heads there.

They search around but find nothing.

"We should split up." Bonnie says. "Search the other rooms. You take the ones right side of the hallway. I'll take the left."

"Split up in a witch house?" Caroline says, not liking the idea. "Bad things happen when people say _we should split up_."

"Are we seriously having this conversation?" Bonnie asks, having a hard time believing what she heard.

"Sorry." Caroline says, scanning the house around her. It really is this place.

"Go search those rooms." Bonnie says, pointing to the right side of the hallway. "I'll be right here. If anything attacks you, it was a pleasure knowing you."

Caroline whips Bonnie a look. "Not cool."

"The sooner we start, the sooner we can leave." Bonnie adds while walking away.

They split up and start their search. After twenty minutes and twelve rooms, they still don't have the necklace. Bonnie steps out into the hallway, sighs, frustrated. It hits her. If the witches could hide four coffins, they could sure as hell hide a small necklace. And just when she thinks that, a glimmer of light catches her eyes.

It's coming from the ground, from a crevasse in the floorboard. Wedged in it is a silver necklace with several blue lapis lazuli stones. Bonnie smiles at sight of it. Weird how they managed to missed it. She kneels down, reaches toward it. The moment her finger touches the necklace, she feels a sudden rush. A vision.

She's standing on a barren hilltop. There are twenty square shaped stones about four feet tall sticking out of the ground. They're aligned in a perfect circle, kind of like a miniature Stonehenge. On the inward face of every stone glows a different symbol. They seem to be made out of pure white light and they pulsate in a steady beat.

In the center of that circle rests a big white oak tree. The bark, trunk, branches and leaves all glow in a crystal white color, pulsating along with the symbols on the stones. The tree and the stones alone illuminate the entire hilltop. The sight is awe inspiring, truly breathtaking.

Suddenly, Bonnie feels another rush. The white oak bursts into flames. The heat is real Bonnie covers her face. The flames burn brighter and hotter until suddenly, they disperse into thin air. The white oak is gone. And with it, all the symbols on the stones stop glowing and completely disappear. Like they were never there.

Darkness sets in. This place suddenly becomes creepy. Bonnie feels cold, but worst of all, she doesn't feel alone. She walks to the center of the circle where the white oak was just moments ago. There is nothing but a stone plate about five feet in diameter. It is engraved by a symbol of a burning white oak. She hears something behind her, quickly turns around.

A hand grabs her by the neck. That action alone is so violent her neck nearly snaps. The grasp is so tight, Bonnie can't breather. She struggles but it doesn't make a difference. The hand lifts her off the ground with stunning ease. And Bonnie finally sees him.

Klaus. Standing in front of her. Where he came from is anyone's guess. But he's here and he's choking the life out of Bonnie. She's terrified to death, running out of oxygen. But Klaus doesn't care. His grip gets even tighter. He brings her so close she can feel his breath on her face. His werewolf eyes are void of emotion and his vampire fangs are aching for blood.

He speaks. His voice is a raspy whisper. But Bonnie can't understand the words. It sounds like a different language. Klaus keeps saying it, repeating the same two lines, over and over again.

Bonnie slowly drifts away. Her oxygen is all used up in her struggle. Her hands slow down, grow limp and lifeless. Her vision slowly blurs, first sign of her brain shutting down. Few more second and it is all over. Klaus keeps mumbling on. Everything begins to fade. In the last moment, just before total darkness takes over, she hears his voice. It comes from within, as if he is in her head. This time, she understands the words.

_Lost in the fire. Found in the fire._

In a swift motion, Klaus throws her away.

Bonnie falls on the ground, back in the witch house. She was pulled in the vision abruptly, she is thrown out of it the same way. She takes a deep breath of air, like a diver who barely made it to the surface. She coughs like an old three packs a day chain smoker. Her head is spinning, she is panting like she ran a marathon and she can't stop shaking.

Caroline steps out of the room, clearly frustrated. She spots Bonnie in the hallway, mouths to say something along the line of having enough of this creepy house. But she notices the necklace in Bonnie's hands.

"Finally!" She exclaims with relief. "We can get out of here."

Bonnie looks at her, terrified to death, eyes wide open, bloodshot, on the verge of tears. Caroline finally realizes. Something is wrong. She quickly jumps to Bonnie and instantly sees her neck. The imprint of a hand is as clear as day.

"What happened?" Caroline asks, shocked at the sight.

But tries to speak but she can't.

* * *

><p>Elena walks in the house. Alaric is not home yet, which she doesn't find odd considering Meredith being a part of his life. She goes upstairs and for some reason opens the doors to Jeremy's room. It's been a while since he was in here. She wonders how he is and what he's doing. She would love to talk to him, but he doesn't know about the latest drama in Mystic Falls. It's better that way.<p>

She closes the doors and walks to her room. She drops her bag on the ground, takes her jacket off. She notices a photograph stuck in the side of her mirror. Bonnie, Caroline and her sitting in the Grill. All three with a smile on their faces. Best friends, young and full of life. What happened with them?

She walks in the bathroom, spends a moment looking at her own reflection in the mirror. She can still see. Damon's face in front of her, the anger he's filled with. Her eyes water. She runs her fingers through her hair, smells the bourbon. She even pulls a few pieces of the glass as well. She lets the water run, rubs it through her hair, trying to wash the alcohol out.

When she's done, she walks back to the room jumps on the bed. She finds a point on the ceiling and stares at it. She resists the tears. Her entire life keeps flipping upside down, repeatedly. It's a lot for a teenager to deal with. Especially someone who has already been through so much. So she deals with it the way she used to.

She grabs her diary from the night locker. Pen in her hand, she lets her thoughts run wild.

_Dear diary,_

_ I'm having one of those days again. Everything I touch seems to break. Everyone I care about gets hurt. Every time I try to set things right, I only make them worse._

_I honestly thought Damon had changed. For a time, he was different. He was kind, in his way. He helped me when I had no one else to lean on. He made things better when it seemed there is no way that could happen. And when he leaned on me, I killed him. Literally._

_ I want things to go back the way they were before. I want mom and dad to wake me up for breakfast. I wanna worry about school and boys. I want Jeremy to poke fun at my hair and Caroline and Bonnie to talk me into doing something crazy._

_I want a normal life where people's lives won't depend on my decision. I want a life where my life wouldn't put others in harm's way._

_How did it come to this?_

Elena puts her diary on the night locker. She grabs her cell phone, scrolls through the phone book. She stops on Bonnie's number, her finger hovers over the dial button. No, she probably doesn't want to talk to her. She scrolls on to Caroline's number. Can't call her either. She's helping Bonnie which is something Elena would gladly do, but she can't.

She scrolls down to Damon's number. Her finger hovers of the dial button, but she doesn't press it. Not sure what to tell him after today. So she keeps scrolling until she hits Stefan's number. She weighs the decision for a while. And finally, presses dial.

* * *

><p>"Are you serious?" Matt asks, beyond surprised.<p>

He's in the back of the Grill, going through the arduous task of washing the dishes with only one hand. But at least he's in a considerably better mood. And he's not alone. Because Rebekah is sitting on the counter next to him. She's holding a rag in her hand, currently wiping a glass, giving Matt the desperately needed hand. Pun intended.

They got the whole process down to a factory line efficiency. Matt washes the dishes in the sink, he pulls them out and hands them to Rebekah. She wipes them off and drops them on a tray next to her. This job is bellow her, but she doesn't mind helping. The friendly chit chat that goes on is just a bonus.

"No." Rebekah answers with a tone that implies it is not a big deal.

"You knew Al Capone?" Matt asks, clearly thinking it is.

"Yup." Rebekah answers, her tone remains.

Matt smirks in disbelief.

"I keep forgetting you've been around." He says, goes back to another glass.

Rebekah immediately stops wiping. She throws a scolding look at Matt. It takes him a moment to realize that their whole _I wash, you dry_ process came to a halt. He looks at her, suddenly feels the fire coming from her eyes. And it hits him. Crap. I did something wrong.

"Did you just call me old?" Rebekah asks, playing it insulted.

Matt is lost for words. His mouth move but nothing comes out of it. He is desperately trying to come up with something that would get him out of this mess, but he can't find the words. Rebekah squints at him, still playing it up. For lack of options, Matt wings it.

"If I say _yes_, will you hurt me?" Deflecting with a joke.

Rebekah gives it a thought, still making a mountain out of a molehill. But the smile she's hiding beneath briefly breaks through on the surface. She suppresses it, enjoying the look of anguish on Matt's face.

"You might consider going with _no_ on that one." She pauses for effect. "Or else."

"Okay." Matt realizes her game. He takes his time, just to create some tension. "You're not old. In fact, you're young. You're at that fine time in life, just between youth and the rest of your life. Evergreen is the word I'm looking for."

"That's more like it." Rebekah nods in agreement.

She immediately goes back to wiping her glass. After a beat, both of them smile.

"So, what was he like?" Matt goes on, curious about Capone.

"He was all right, I suppose." Rebekah still thinking it's not a big deal. "Mean drunk, little overweight. He owned a few speakeasies I often frequented."

"Speakeasies?"

"Oh!" Rebekah realizes she's talking to someone after that time. "Speakeasies were these saloons where they served alcohol during the prohibition. Very hush hush. They were much like the Grill, but more formal. Dress code, suits and gowns. That's the thing I miss the most about those days."

She looks over her shoulder at the packed Grill.

Most customers are young people, high school kids, jeans and t-shirt generation. But there are groups that cover just about every cliché in the book. Jocks wearing their letterman jackets, skater boys in their baggy outfits with oversized shirts and caps, punkers with their boots and chains, fashionable girls wearing top to bottom brand clothing, geeks with their _whatever was in the closet_ outfits.

"Now, people show up in jeans and t-shirts." Rebekah say with a wee bit of disdain.

"Hey, easy now!" Matt jumps at it. Now he's playing up the role of the insulted one. "I make my living cleaning up after those people in jeans and t-shirts."

"Sorry." Rebekah shrugs.

"I still can't believe you knew Capone." Matt refuses to let go of that.

"Don't feel like you missed out." Rebekah says like she's talking about some guy next door. "He was just another man. I had to compel him away from me a few times. The man was married, had a kid, and yet he still came calling."

"Who could blame him?" Matt's thoughts escape aloud.

He quickly sinks another glass in the water and focuses on it. He realizes that was out loud. Rebekah looks at him in the same way she did when he gave her his jacket at the ball. A flattered smile covers her face. She is gorgeous when she's not psychotic.

Matt wraps up with the glass. He hands it to her. And then that awkward cliché moment happens. Their hands touch for a very brief moment. Nothing out of the ordinary for the rest of the world, but for the two of them, it is anything but. It feels so pleasantly strange.

They get back to work. Awkward moment carries on in a brief spell of wordless dishwashing. Matt keeps washing, Rebekah keeps wiping. Both of them realize how ridiculous this silence is. Rebekah decides to end it.

"His friends called him Snorky." She adds to Matt's fascination, breaks the ice.

"Snorky?" Matt looks at her thinking she's joking.

Rebekah just nods her head. Oh, yeah. Snorky.

For a moment, they can keep it under control. But then it just pours out of them. They start laughing out loud, or LOL as it's referred to these days. It is a warm, honest and excessively loud laughter. The kind people use when they are in the company of people they enjoy being around. For these two, that is a new development. But it feels good.

Everyone in the Grill can hear their laughter coming from the back. At first, customers are somewhat confused. But the pure joy in the laughter draws a smile on their face. It's not long before everyone thinks the same thing.

* * *

><p>Stefan glances at his ringing cell phone. Elena's name is written all over the display. It catches him mid step. He feels an overwhelming need to answer the call just to make sure she's all right. After all, that ordeal with Damon didn't look all too pleasant for her. With a heavy heart, he rejects the call. He looks both ways before crossing the road.<p>

Caroline and Bonnie are sitting outside of the Mystic Grill. Drinks already in front of them, they're burning through the adrenaline still left from the witch house. Bonnie is on edge, that vision still running rampant in her mind. She caresses her neck, literally feels Klaus's hand gripping it.

Caroline doesn't move her eyes off of her. Until her uber hearing gets tickled. She tilts her head to the side, listens. It's coming from inside the Grill. Someone is laughing and enjoying in the process. Something about it sounds familiar, which is why it caught her attention.

"What is it?" Bonnie asks, noticing Caroline's odd behavior.

"It's nothing." Caroline ignores it.

"I can't get that vision out of my head." Bonnie says, still distressed.

"What does it all mean?" Caroline thinks out loud. "Lost in the fire, found in the fire."

"I don't know yet." Bonnie says.

She looks up just in time to notice Stefan crossing the road. He joins them at the table. His cell phone rings again but he immediately refuses to take the call. He puts the cell phone in his pocket. It's clear he doesn't like the fact he did that. His face resembles someone who just ran over a puppy. Part of him wanted to answer, but he's busy.

"I got your text." He says to Bonnie. "Is Abby alright?"

The mentioning of Abby doesn't sit too well with Bonnie. Stefan didn't turn her but he did play a part in it. She's not interested in discussing Abby with him. Before she can voice her disapproval, Caroline jumps in.

"Abby is as fine as she can be, all things considering." Caroline nods at Bonnie. "But this Bennett however had an interesting adventure in the witch house."

"What happened?" Stefan asks.

Bonnie pulls Abby's necklace out of her purse, shows it to Stefan

"Lapis lazuli." He recognizes the stones. "Where did you get that?"

"It belongs to Abby." Bonnie answers. "It fell off her in the witch house after your brother snapped her neck." The tone of her voice suggests she'll use every chance she gets to point that out.

"Anyway." She composes herself. "I went to pick it up so I can enchant it for Abby. When I touched it, I had a vision."

This catches Stefan's full attention.

"The white oak tree." Bonnie says, waiting for a reaction.

"What about it?" Stefan answers back, not sure what to think. "The original family burned it to the ground before they left Mystic Falls."

"Yes." Bonnie says. She had expected Stefan to know that part. "But what if I told you there might be another tree?"

Bomb goes off in Stefan's head. Another white oak would present a solution to all his problems. Hell, to everyone's problems. They ran out of options when it comes to dealing with Klaus. White oak tree offers just that. An option. A way to get rid of Klaus. And this time, for good.

"Where?" Stefan asks.

"I'm still not sure." Bonnie says, not really an answer. "I'm not even sure if it's real. But I didn't get the vision for no reason. I was on a hilltop. The oak was there, surrounded by these square stones, kind of like Stonehenge. They had these symbols on them. And I think I've seen some of them."

"The cave?" Stefan asks.

"Yes. I think." Bonnie answers, unsure. "When we went through those symbols before, we couldn't figure out what some of them mean, but..."

"We weren't looking for the white oak before." Stefan finishes her sentence. "You think they're important?"

"I wouldn't have seen them if they weren't important." Bonnie says, lays out her plan. "Caroline and I will go to the cave after I drop this necklace to Abby. We'll take a look at those symbols again."

"Tell him about Klaus." Caroline intervenes, realizing Bonnie is leaving that part of her vision out.

"What about Klaus?" Stefan asks.

"He was in my vision too." Bonnie answers.

"And he nearly choked her to death." Caroline adds.

Bonnie touches her neck, remembering. Stefan notices something on her face. That vision really scared her. And he doesn't like the fact she saw Klaus there. That might not mean anything, but it might mean something monumental.

"Maybe he knows about the white oak." Stefan says.

"Maybe." Bonnie agrees. "Either way, it doesn't matter. As long as you find it first."

"Where do I start?" Stefan asks, he's game.

"Find those stones." Bonnie answers. "You find the stones, you find the tree."

"There are a lot of hilltops around Mystic Falls." Stefan says, knowing that won't make his search easy. "Any chance you could narrow it down."

Caroline pulls her I-Phone, shows it to Stefan. These two have clearly prepared for this question.

"I went on Google Maps and checked everything in and around Mystic Falls." Caroline proudly announces. "Did you know they have this terrain option there."

Bonnie and Stefan look at her. No. They didn't know that. How is that relevant?

"Right." Caroline realizes it's not. "Anyway, there are only five hilltops that match Bonnie's description. No trees. It's not much, but it's a start."

Stefan takes it. Any lead is better than no leads. But something else is bothering him. After everything that has happened, why is Bonnie helping him? Ever since he walked into Elena's life, she was always the one who got hurt.

"After everything that has happened, why are you helping me?" Stefan voices his thoughts.

"Because you and I have something in common." Bonnie say. "I want Klaus dead just as much as you do. I want some semblance of normal life in this town."

"I'm gonna need Damon's help." Stefan makes it clear. "Are we gonna have a problem with that?"

"My problem with Damon I'll resolve in due time." Bonnie says in her petite threatening manner. "As long as Klaus is in town, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Stefan understands. But he just has to come clean.

"You know, it was supposed to be me who turns Abby." He says.

Bonnie's reaction is indifferent. She measures him from head to toe.

"But it wasn't." She says. "Just pray to God your brother makes up for it. Because if he as much as looks at me or Abby the wrong way, I will end him. No matter who stands in my way, Stefan."

Stefan understands. The threat between the lines was not between the lines at all. That was directed to him. Stay out of her way or she'll give him a witchy bitchy aneurysm. Even though Stefan doesn't necessarily like it, he understands. If he were in her shoes, he would feel the same.

"We find the tree. We get rid of Klaus." Stefan lays his end of the deal. "And I give you my word. I won't stand in your way, no matter what you choose to do."

Bonnie nods. She didn't expected anything less from Stefan. Good or bad, one thing is always clear with Stefan. He pays his debts. Caroline is a little disturbed by the way this conversation went down. Eye for an eye only makes the world blind. But for once, she keeps it to herself.

* * *

><p>Klaus is in the living room, standing over the fireplace.<p>

The pile of maps and books is still on the table. They were in a state of mess earlier, but that condition is definition of order compared to what it looks like now. Fair assumption is that the research didn't go as planned. Somewhere in the middle of it, Klaus stumbled onto something that distracted him enough to give it a rest.

In his hand is a piece of paper, one of his drawings. The face is familiar. Mild eyes, small perky nose, thin lips folded in a heart stopping smile. Seeing her in real life mesmerized him. Her drawing only reminds him that it wasn't just a dream. And it brings a smile on his face.

Caroline.

There is something different about Klaus when he looks at Caroline, even if it is only her drawing. His eyes are suddenly void of that ever-present sinister glow. Instead, they carry a glow much like the one a young boy has in his eyes when he finally discovers that one girl. Immortality is a painful curse if one spends it alone. Klaus knows that more than anyone. But to him, eternity of pain is worth it, as long as it means spending just one minute in her presence.

Footsteps approach from the hallway. Klaus snaps out of his childish daydream. He turns around, that sinister glow is back in his eyes. Kyle and Dale walk in the living room. At first glance, they're just two young men who like denim way too much.

They're hybrids, even though it's hard to notice. They're also amongst the last few Klaus has at his disposal. Due to Stefan's request, Klaus sent them out of Mystic Falls. But they've been hanging around, waiting for the call. And they got one.

Both of them look like average young men, early twenties, nothing out of the ordinary that would attract attention. If it weren't for Dale's ginger hair as opposed to Kyle's dark buzz cut, they could actually pass as twins. But they're not. What is hard to tell by just looking at them is a trait of their personality.

These two are _get it done_ type of guys. Point them in the general direction and stay the hell out of their way. Bad dogs.

"You're late." Klaus says with his _I'm the boss_ voice.

"Pardon." Dale answer, slightly bowing his head.

"Traffic." Kyle adds to it.

"You've got your work cut out for you." Klaus gestures toward the table.

Kyle picks up a piece of paper off the table. On it is a picture of the white oak tree, the same one Klaus was watching earlier. He ripped it out of the book. Kyle passes the paper to Dale who examines it then puts it in his pocket.

"It's in the greater Mystic Falls area. Call the others." Klaus throws them the kind of look that demands urgency. "Find it."

"Yes, sir." Both of them answer in unison.

A barely noticeable nod from Klaus and they're out of the room. He sighs. It might not be the best plan but it should get the job done. Klaus made him move. Now, it's a waiting game.

* * *

><p>Pizza delivery car is parked in front of the Salvatore boarding house. Even though all doors and windows are closed, the music is pouring out on the driveway.<p>

Damon balances a glass of bourbon in one hand, slice of pizza in another. He's dancing in a small circle, switching between having a sip of bourbon and a bite of pizza. And he is not alone. A drop dead gorgeous girl dances around the living room with him. Delivery girl, they rarely come in this kind of package. Hot. Also, she's missing most of her clothes which is not very odd considering she's hanging with Damon.

Her name is Jenny and she looks like someone who could easily be a model but choose to pursue college education instead. She hates her job but desperately needs one. And she really loves to party. That, or Damon compelled her. It's hard to say. Either way, both of them are having a blast, drunk out of their minds.

"What do we do now?" Jenny asks in the middle of her dance frenzy.

"We tango." Damon answers.

They bump into each other, grab hands to the best of their abilities, and start dancing probably the worst tango the world has ever seen. Damon drops his pizza, his bourbon pours out of the glass, both of them are missing steps and they're barely standing. This party has been going on for a while now.

"You're a terrible dancer." Jenny says through laughter.

"You'll never graduate." Damon answers in kind.

"You're mean!" Jenny frowns.

"I get that a lot." Damon replies.

He moves her long blonde hair and reveals a bite mark on her neck. Without any hesitation, he bites and has another drink. Jenny seems to enjoy it. That pretty much makes it obvious she is not doing this at will.

"I'm dizzy." She mutters to Damon.

"You're blood pressure is dropping. It's perfectly normal." Damon casually answers, wipes the blood of his mouth. Jenny stares at his fangs.

"Your teeth look weird." Jenny mumbles through her teeth.

"You know, you talk too much." He says, as if just realizing.

"I get that a lot." Jenny says.

The music suddenly stops. Both Jenny and Damon look around. Who did that?

Stefan is standing next to the stereo. It doesn't take an expert to see he is not happy with what he sees.

"Hello, brother!" Damon greets in a familiar manner. "Join us, grab a slice, have a drink. Oh, wait! You don't drink human blood anymore. That's beneath you." Damon turns to Jenny, pretends like he doesn't want Stefan to hear him. "He feeds on bunnies and squirrels and weird furry things he catches in the back yard."

Jenny is disgusted and sad at the same time. "Poor bunnies."

Damon whips a fake sad look at Stefan, imitates Jenny. "Poor bunnies."

Stefan shakes his head. He knows Damon's fight with Elena is the reason for this. He would imagine a hundred and fifty years old vampire would developed a mature coping mechanism, but not Damon. Music, booze and a half naked girl. Mature? No. Fun? Probably.

"Send her home, Damon." Stefan says in his party breaker voice.

"Why? She loves it here!" Damon says, gives Jenny the kind of French kiss even porn actors would look and go _ew_.

"Fine. I'll go find the white oak myself." Stefan throws it out there, heads out of the room.

But Damon heard that. He pushes Jenny away. Ste stumbles, drunk as she is, trips and falls on the sofa. That gets her to laugh hysterically. Damon whips her a _shut up_ look. Jenny covers her mouth, giggles through her hands. She is really hammered. Damon shifts his focus to Stefan.

"The white oak?" He asks, interested and suspicious at the same time. "How?"

"Bonnie had a vision. Seems there is another tree around Mystic Falls." Stefan fills him in, enough for now.

"That's impossible." Damon shakes it off. "Klaus would have burnt it by now."

"Not if he doesn't know about it." Stefan makes a valid point.

Damon spends a moment to think. All the Scotch in his system doesn't make this easy, but he goes through it. Another white oak means another way to kill Klaus. No more Klaus, no more problems for Elena. No matter how angry he is at Elena, he cares about her. And her safety is his primary concern.

"Why would Santa Claus burn a tree?" Jenny asks from the couch.

Stefan just closes his eyes, shakes his head. Damon throws a stupefied look at Jenny.

"Seriously, how the hell did you get into college?"

* * *

><p>"I'm punching out." Matt says to his bus boy replacement.<p>

He rolls his apron, drops in on the counter. He puts his jacket on, extra careful with his right hand going through the sleeve. It feels better, but hurts when he accidentally hits it. He heads for the bar where Rebekah is waiting.

"All done?" Rebekah asks him.

"Yep." Matt answers with a sigh.

They walk toward the exit. Both of them had done an honest day's work. Rebekah is glowing with pride having actually experienced mortal employment. She won't be judging Matt any time soon.

"I don't know how you do this every day." Rebekah says, exhausted.

"If I could compel myself a fat check, I would." Matt smiles. He used a similar line before and it worked. Rebekah smiles, means it worked again. Matt thinks to himself, whatever gets _that_ job done is worth it.

They get outside the Grill. The sun is barely peering over the horizon. Nightfall is around the corner. The air is fresh and the streetlights of Mystic Falls flicker on. Small town nighttime magic is everywhere.

"To be honest, I actually had fun today." Rebekah says, surprised by her own words and the fact she means it. "I've never worked a day in my life until today."

"Does that mean I'll have to give you a cut from my paycheck?" Matt asks, playing suspicious.

"Hey!" Rebekah bumps him on the shoulder. "I worked as hard as you did!"

"With twice as many resources!" Matt adds, shows his injured hand.

"Okay, you got a point there." She concedes.

They reach Matt's truck, parked right across the street from the Grill.

"So, can I count on your help tomorrow?" Matt asks. There is a subtext somewhere in that question.

"Is that your way of asking if we'll see each other again?" Rebekah sees through it.

Matt plays it up like he's busted. They share a smile. Matt goes serious.

"Seriously." Matt drops the jokes. "Thank you. For everything. For saving my life, wrapping my hand, helping out at the Grill."

Matt pauses. He spends a beat looking for the words.

"And for the company." He finally adds.

Rebekah notices that look is Matt's eyes, the one that draws her true face out. She looks back at him with an underlying smile on her face. She is only beginning to see what Matt Donovan is all about. So far, she likes what she sees.

"You're welcome." Rebekah answers with a girly smirk, like someone had just told her she looks pretty in a new dress. "I'm glad I could help."

They spend an awkwardly long beat staring at each other. With each passing second, it gets worse and worse. Something hangs in the air between them. To people on the side, this would look like that awkward moment just before two people make that last step into what becomes more than friendship.

But they just got to the whole friendship part. Why rush things?

"Do you need a ride?" Matt asks, breaking the awkward moment. He realizes the error of his question. "I know you can run faster than this truck, but still."

Rebekah takes it with a smile. Again, it's the same smile she put on when Matt offered her his jacket and when he accidentally praised Al Capone for hitting on her. The smile she has when Matt does something, by accident or on purpose, that shows her he likes her. She mouths to say something.

Suddenly. Her vampire hearing picks something up. Something Matt is not even aware of. He looks at Rebekah, her face just changed. She went serious, completely disconnected from their conversation. He finds that odd?

She looks over his shoulder, sees Caroline and Bonnie walking away from the Grill, nearly a block away from where her and Matt are. But she can still hear them. Their conversation captivates her.

"What happens after Stefan finds that white oak?" Caroline asks, reclusively curious. "What happens then?"

"We get rid of Klaus." Bonnie adds. "Stefan won't stop looking until he finds it. He wants Klaus and the rest of the Manson family out of Mystic Falls more than anyone else. We have to get to that cave and take another look at those symbols."

"The sooner, the better." Caroline adds, her heart not really in it.

The two get in Caroline's car and by doing so, Rebekah can't hear any more of their conversation. But she heard enough. More than enough. Salvatore brothers know about the white oak. The grim reality slaps her in the face. The thought of her possible death creeps in the back of her head again. And it scares her.

Matt is standing in front of her, waiting for an answer. He sees something is wrong with her. She is staring at something behind him. He looks over his shoulder but can't see anything that would make sense. He looks back at her, part of him thinks she might not be feeling all right, some kind of vampire thing. Maybe he went out of line. But how is that possible? He just offered her a ride.

"I'm sorry." Rebekah begins, practically stuttering the words out. "I have to go."

"Is something wrong? Are you okay?" Matt asks, confused.

"Yeah. I just, I have to go." Rebekah quickly says, walking away. "I'm sorry."

Matt opens his mouth to say something. But whoosh.

Just like that, Rebekah is gone. Matt looks around down the street but she is long gone. He shrugs, confused, a little bit hurt too. One moment they were having fun and the next moment, she is gone. He sighs, gets in his truck and rives away.

There is a new variation of the Murphy's law.

_If anything can go wrong for Matt Donovan, it will._

* * *

><p>Klaus is in his art room. He's examining a drawing he has made. Shockingly enough, it's not Caroline. Instead, it looks to be the white oak tree. Klaus has been working on it for the past few hours and it already looks amazing. Psychotic or not, he has a talent.<p>

Something flies through the doors. Klaus slowly turns his head around. Rebekah is standing in the room, panting. The look on her face is fear and anger. Fear is prevailing.

"Where have you been, sister?" Klaus asks nonchalantly.

"They know!" Rebekah ignores his question.

"You're going to have to be more specific, love." Klaus says with a calm voice. "Who knows what?"

"Salvatore brothers know about the white oak!" Rebekah spits out. "How is that for specific?"

Klaus slams his glass on the mini-bar tray. He looks at Rebekah, rage pouring out of his eyes. He walks up to her, stares her in the eyes. But she doesn't back down. She's looking to him to set this right. She wants comfort, not lashing out.

"What did you say?" Klaus asks, his voice silent in contrast to his angry appearance.

"I heard your Caroline and that little Bennett witch talk about it outside the Grill." Rebekah explains. "The Salvatore brothers are looking for the tree as we speak."

"How did they find out?" Klaus asks. It's not a question as much as his thoughts just ran away from him.

"Does it matter?" Rebekah asks. "They know. Niklaus, they know!"

Klaus takes moment, thinks it through. He pulls a cell phone out of his pocket, hits a speed dial. He sents the phone against his ear and stares at Rebekah while he waits. The call is answered. Familiar voice of Kyle on the other side.

"Hello." Kyle says over the phone.

"Where are you?" Klaus asks.

"We searched everything north and west of the town. Nothing yet." Kyle answers. "We split up into pairs, should be able to find it faster."

"Good." Klaus says. His diabolical trait pops up in the form of a anger vein. "Two vampires might show up looking for the tree."

"How would you like us to handle them?" Kyle asks, already knowing the answer.

"Kill them." Klaus says without a moment's delay. "And don't go nice about it either."

Klaus hangs up. Rebekah looks at him, not sure with whom he was talking. She's not completely relieved, but it's something.

Klaus walks up to her, looks her in her eyes. He switches from a crazy brother to a loving big brother in a matter of seconds. It's strange how he can do that.

"Have no fear, little sister." He says. The calm in his voice is disturbing. "Salvatore brothers won't live to see another day."

This is more like it. Rebekah forces an uneasy smile.

Elijah is standing in the hallway outside the living room. His head turned to the side, ear pointed toward the doors leading downstairs to Klaus's art room. Oh, yes. He hears every word they exchange. The odd thing is.

He is not surprised, at all.

He walks in the living room and approaches the table. The mess Klaus has made is still there. Maps and books scattered about. Elijah elegantly moves the maps and the books until he finds what he came for.

The book is very old, dirty brown, with a thick leather cover snapped closed by an even older looking lock. Elijah opens it, goes through the pages until he finds what he is looking for. It's a very detailed drawing of a symbol. Circular in shape with half a dozen smaller circles drawn inside of it. It is not very enigmatic, but it covers the entire page. Must be important.

Elijah gently rips the page out of the book. He folds it several times and puts it in his inside jacket pocket. He puts the book back on the table and pedantry recreates the mess that was lying on top of it. He wants to make it look like nothing has been touched on the table. And he succeeds.

He heads out of the living room, stops at the hallway. He can still hear Klaus and Rebekah is the art room. Klaus is still comforting her. Elijah turns around and walks out of the house. Whatever he has going on, he clearly wants to handle it on his own.

Secrets, secrets.

* * *

><p>The night is here.<p>

Stefan and Damon walk through the woods. They've been going at it the whole day. Stefan is still motivated, hatred for Klaus keeps him going. Damon, however, looks anything but happy. Every step shows the lack of desire for making the next one.

"You do see the irony of our situation, don't you?" Damon starts.

"Please, let it go." Stefan says. These conversations have clearly been going on for a while. Stefan is tired of them.

"We can't find a tree in the middle of a forest." Damon says, bursting with aforementioned irony. "Please, do explain, how in the hell is that even remotely possible?"

"Only one more hilltop left to search, Damon." Stefan rationalizes. "It has to be there. So suck it up and stop complaining."

"Oh, this isn't me complaining." Damon says, convinced that this is not him complaining. "This is me stating the obvious. That and, of course, pissing you off. I'm sure you've noticed I can't seem to resist doing that."

"Oh, I've noticed." Stefan mutters back.

"There is no white oak, Stefan!" Damon suddenly goes loud. "This is a wild goose chase. And to think I could have been dancing around, sipping Jenny and having a party right now. You know, you really are the ripper. Party ripper. Always raining on other people's parade. Not cool, little brother."

"If you know of another way to kill an original, by all means, share!" Stefan raises his voice, clearly bored of Damon's cynicism. Damon is caught by surprise by this. He has no answer.

"Thought so." Stefan wraps it up.

They keep walking is silence. Something hands in there air between them. It's only a matter of time before someone finally spills the beans. Damon goes for it.

"What's up with you? Why are you so bitter today?" Damon asks, plays it up like he's talking to a baby. "Did you eat a spoiled bunny?"

"You do realize you've scared Elena to death, don't you?" Stefan reveals the reason.

"Last time I checked, you didn't care." Damon answers, knowing it'll set Stefan off.

And it does. Stefan stops walking, turns around and faces Damon. The Salvatore face off is a go. Both of them measure each other. Stefan keeps his gloomy look fixed on Damon who squints and winks in his usually manner.

Let the games begin.

"What did she say to you at the ball to make you this messed up?" Stefan pokes, knows that this will get to Damon.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Damon plays it up, actually deflecting.

"Yes, I would." Stefan says. "She said she didn't mean it, but I'm starting to think she should have."

Damon gets stung by this. _She didn't mean it?_

"What difference does it make? I said what I said, she said what she said. End of discussion. Can we go find that damn tree now?" Damon pretends like he's over it, walks away.

But Stefan puts his hand on Damon's chest, stops him from walking by. And in that instance, Damon whips a pissed off look at Stefan. He is really not in the mood to talk about this. Forcing it is not a smart move on Stefan's behalf.

"Careful, brother. You're on a bunny diet and I'm full of Jenny." Damon lowers his voice to an even more threatening tone. "Move that hand, or I'll move it for you."

"Then what? You're gonna break a glass of bourbon on my head too?" Stefan says, another stab that stings Damon. "I dare you."

"Coming from a guy who pretends to be this _big bad_ vampire when he's actually back to terrorizing woodland creatures, that's kind of funny." Damon snaps a joke. "Tell me, Stefan, are you in touch with your feelings yet? Or are you faking that part as well?"

Two of them face off. Someone is gonna hit someone.

"At least I have a legitimate reason for avoiding her." Damon keeps on. "What's your excuse?"

Stefan mouths to say something, but Damon beats him to it.

"I know what it is." He drops to a condescending tone. "You're so scared of facing her you pretend to be the bad guy just so she would stay away from you. But the truth is, you're just a sad little vampire Romeo who can't deal with the fact he pushed Juliet so hard she fell off her damn balcony."

Damon tries to walk on. But Stefan still holds him. He gets in Damon's face.

"You will never understand how I feel." He says, gloomy and honest to the point.

The Wickery bridge incident is really destroying Stefan. But Damon fights back. He has something to say as well. He moves even closer to Stefan.

"Do you think you're the only one who feels that way?" Damon rebuttals. "You spent a better half of a century trying to find my humanity. She did that in less than a year. And when I thought it was all right, I went and broke one promise I made to myself. When I finally came clean and told her how I feel, she said _that's a problem_. So don't you dare stand in front of me and act like I don't understand."

Damon harshly slaps Stefan's hand off his chest and walks past him. This Salvatore duel is over.

Stefan just stands there. With this piece of information, everything makes perfect sense. Everything Damon did since the ball is now in perspective. Trying to kill Kol, sleeping with Rebekah, scaring Elena to death, acting like his old self. It all makes perfect sense.

Stefan turns around, goes after Damon. When.

Crack. Just off to the side. It's a familiar sound of a dry twig breaking in half when someone steps on it. Both Stefan and Damon stop dead in their track, turn in the direction from where the sound came from. They look at each other. They don't need words to say what both of them think.

They're not alone.

* * *

><p>"This is as far as I can go." Caroline says.<p>

She's standing at the entrance of the cave with the paintings. The spell put in place a long time ago makes it impossible for vampires to get in. Bonnie, however, is already in the cave. She looks around the place.

Esther's casket is still there, but that's not what catches Bonnie's attention. The ground is covered by charred spots, like something was burning here. Bonnie finally notices the gasoline tank in the corner.

"This is where Rebekah held Elena?" Bonnie asks.

"I think so." Caroline answers. "Why?"

Bonnie looks around, starts creating a mental picture of what took place in this cave yesterday. Charred spots on the ground, gas tank, Rebekah was playing with fire. Literally playing with fire. And Elena was stuck in the middle of it. Bonnie thinks how she must have been terrified. Death by fire. Witches fear it, humans are not far behind either.

"What's wrong?" Caroline snaps Bonnie out of her daydream.

"Nothing." Bonnie quickly gets her bearings.

She focuses on the cave walls. She goes in circle, watching the symbols, taking photos of all of them. She trying a familiar one. Caroline squeezes herself at the entrance of the cave, trying as hard as possible to see what Bonnie is up to.

Bonnie keeps going in circles, scanning the wall, until she recognizes a symbol. She had seen it in her vision. It was glowing on one of those rocks surrounding the white oak. She takes her camera out, flashes a photo of the symbol. She keeps going in circle and what do you know, she finds another symbol. She takes the photo and keeps going. She's in the zone.

Caroline stares at her, confused in her own cute manner.

Suddenly, Bonnie stops. A symbol on the cave wall catches her attention. It looks like a circle with several smaller circles within. It looks like a rugged draft of the drawing Elijah took from Klaus's book. Bonnie recognizes it but she can't remember from where. Like a déjà vu. She approaches the cave wall to examine it a little closer. She doesn't know why but she's drawn to it.

"Did you find anything?" Caroline asks.

"I'm not sure." Bonnie answers.

She takes a photo of the symbol. Why does it feel so important? Not knowing why, she reaches toward the wall. Her finger is barely at the wall but she can already feel the rush coming. And just as she touches the symbol, the vision hits.

She's standing on that same hilltop. But this time, the stones are not glowing. There is no sign of the symbols. The white oak is gone as well. It's cold, dark and scary. Bonnie realizes she's standing in the center of the circle, exactly where the white oak was. She looks down, notices that stone plate with engraved white oak engulfed by flames. It's the exact same image like the one on the cave wall. Suddenly.

The stone plate starts to smolder. Bonnie feels the heat under her feet. She immediately jumps to the side. And just as she does, pure white flame bursts out of the stone plate. In that same instance, the symbols on the square stones starts glowing. And with it, Bonnie connects the dots.

"Lost in the fire. Found in the fire." She speaks her thoughts.

She quickly turns around, scans all the square stones. The symbols are glowing again. She knows what this place is now. And with that realization, she feels the rush of the vision subside. As if the vision was waiting for her to understand. And just like that.

"Bonnie? Bonnie?" Caroline is shouting, scared out of her skin. She's trying to enter the cave but that invisible vampire barrier keeps her out. "Bonnie, are you okay?"

Bonnie snaps out of it. She turns around like nothing happened. And she notices Caroline. Eyes wide, face red, she's between furious and terrified. When she finally sees Bonnie's face, she calms down.

"What happened? Caroline asks. "What did you see?"

"I know how to find it." Bonnie whispers, realizing what she just said. "I know how to find it!"

She screams it out. Caroline gets slightly startled by Bonnie's burst of enthusiasm. But Bonnie is running with it. She digs through her purse, finds her cell phone. She's onto something.

* * *

><p>The log flies out of the darkness. By the size of it, it must be at least hundred and fifty kilos. But it flies through the air like a boomerang. Stefan sees it too late. It hits him with a crunching thud and crushes him against the ground.<p>

Damon immediately responds. He jumps to Stefan, grabs one end of the log and flips it away with ease. He grabs Stefan's hand and pulls him back on his feet, but Stefan starts falling again. Damon holds him. Both of them can hear the sound of his ribs snapping as they heal into place. It is dreadful and by the looks of Stefan, hurts like hell.

Kyle and Dale walk out of the darkness. They high five each other.

"Nice throw!" Kyle congratulates Dale who pretends to wipe some dust off his shoulders. _Piece of cake_ style. Arrogance personified.

"Thank you very much." Dale answers with a small humorous bow.

They stand in the clearing not far away from Damon and Stefan. These guys are here with a purpose. To cause pain. By the looks of it, they're already having fun.

"Who the hell are you?" Damon asks, feeling more confused than threatened.

"Woof, woof." Kyle answers with a smile, then suddenly goes murderer serious. "Who do you think?"

"Down, boy." Damon says and imitates the sound people do when they call their dog.

Kyle feels like he got slapped cold Jlie. Stefan finally manages to straighten up. Ribs are healed. He's okay. He measures Kyle and Dale who stretch their necks and rub their fists. This is what bullies do just before they beat the shit out of geeks.

"Hybrids." Stefan says.

"Aha." Damon agrees.

"They must be out here looking for…"

"Yep." Damon interrupts.

"Which means that Klaus…" Stefan starts again.

"Oh, yeah." Damon interrupts again.

Translation. Stefan notes that Kyle and Dale are hybrids, Damon agrees. Stefan notes that they are probably looking for the white oak tree, Damon thinks the same. Stefan concludes that that means Klaus probably knows about the white oak, Damon thinks so too.

It's a brother-mind-reading thingy.

"Any chance you boys found a white oak around here?" Kyle asks, arrogance bursting out of him. "You might as well make our job easier before you die."

Stefan and Damon exchange a look. That explains why they're here.

"Since we're at the subject, you might as well make this easy and just kill each other?" Dale suggests.

"Dog eat dog." Damon answers. "You first."

Kyle and Dale smile. They play to enjoy this. Stefan and Damon exchange a troubled look. This is not going to be easy. And if they get bit, the only thing that can save them from dying is Klaus's blood. Needless to say, that's not likely to happen.

"Don't get bit." Stefan warns with a whisper, better safe than sorry.

"Likewise." Damon adds. "You take the ginger. They freak me out."

Stefan can't help but to smirk to that statement. They break their little Salvatore _huddle_ and face off with two hybrids. Someone yell _fistfight_.

Kyle makes the first step. He heads for Damon, throws the first swing. But Damon, full of Jenny's blood, easily avoids it. He head butts Kyle, grabs him and in a vampire swift turning move throws the hybrid in the nearby tree. Kyle hits with his back. The crack of his spine breaking is loud enough to raise hairs on the back of the head.

Dale makes a move toward Stefan, who stands his ground, waits for it. But Dale goes super speed, runs left and right in quick succession. The leafs on the ground spring in the air due to his speed. And it works. Stefan blinks, and just like that, loses sight of the ginger hybrid. He is nowhere to be seen.

"Boo." Dale whispers in Stefan's ear.

He's standing right behind Stefan, literally leaning into his ear.

Stefan reacts, startled. He throws his elbow in the air, going for Dale's head. But the ginger is too fast. He ducks, then kicks Stefan on the chest with both hands. Stefan goes flying. He lands on a dome shaped rock some thirty feet away. Something snaps in his back. The pain shoots through the center of his back like a thousand knives constantly stabbing him. Ouch. He rolls over, just about to get up on all fours. But before he can, Dale is already above him. With a swift move, he kicks Stefan on the ribs like a football. Crack goes off, the sound of Stefan's ribs being broken. He goes flying again, only this time he clips a tree and bounces off it. He falls hard on the ground, barely conscience.

Damon notices Stefan is in trouble. But he has his hands full. Kyle is back on his feet, spine healed, pissed off. He runs straight at Damon who stands in the spot with a cocky look on his face. It's infuriating Kyle. He swings at Damon who avoids without a problem. Kyle keeps on swinging but Damon just keeps leaning away from the punches. When Kyle finally opens up, Damon makes his move. He jumps sideways in a flash. His fist goes up and drops like a hammer straight on Kyle's face. The force of the hit literally hammers Kyle in the ground. He starts to get up, but Damon rips his hand through his back and pulls his heart out.

"Play dead." He adds a punch line. Just for the sake of it.

Stefan gets on his feet. His ribs slowly heal. Pain is excruciating. But he is still in this fight. He looks around for Dale but he's nowhere to be seen. Instead, Stefan notices Damon.

Damon is just about to throw a _how are you doing_ nod to Stefan. But he gets hit. From the side, football tackle style. The hit violently pushes him against a tree. He bumps his head, blood springs out. He sees double. There is no worse hit than the one you don't see. And Damon never saw this one. He tries to shake it off. Nope, not working. He turns around and notices Dales standing above him. Ear to ear grin on his faces.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Damon mutters through his teeth.

"Wisconsin." Dale answers. A joke.

Damon doesn't laugh and Dale doesn't care. He swings. Punch lands right smack in the middle of Damon's face. Unlike cocky Kyle, Dale can hit. And it stuns Damon even more. He tries to get up but Dale grabs him like a bag and throws him in a tree, head first. Damon drops on the ground, dazed, barely conscience. Dale walks up to Damon, about to throw his coup de grace. He notices a broken branch on the ground. It will serve as a stake. He reaches down. And sees a foot coming at his face.

Kick off.

The foot smacks Dale across the face, a beautiful volley. For a change, he's the one who goes flying. He hits the ground with a thud, but it doesn't end there. Like a freaky monkey, he rolls over and jumps back on his feet in the same motion. This is not his first encounter with vampires. And what's even worse. Now he's really pissed.

He looks up and sees Stefan, the man behind the kick. He's standing over Damon, protecting his brother. Damon still tries to get up but falls back on his face every time.

Dale and Stefan have a stare down. Neither of them makes a move. Suddenly, Dale throws a smirk at Stefan. The kind that says _I'm about to whoop your ass_. He goes super speed again, just like at the beginning. Left, right, left, right. Leafs rise in the air like in a tornado. Stefan tries to focus, but to no avail. Dale is a blur. And just like that, he's gone.

But Stefan won't fall for that one again. He immediately turns around, ready to face Dale. But the thing is, Dale is not there. He's behind Stefan, standing where he started his zigzag run from. He knew Stefan won't fall for the same trick twice. He rushes toward Stefan from behind, fangs out, ready to bite the younger Salvatore. He's on top of him, game over.

But Stefan quickly turns around, the Reaper look on his face. In a flash, he skips just one step to the side, puts his hand up, holding the same stick Dale was going to use on Damon. Dale runs into it. The tip breaks through his skin, pushes ribs to the side and stabs him in the heart. The ginger hybrid looks up, more surprised than in pain. Stefan leans to his ear.

"Boo." He whispers.

Stefan rips the stick out, swings his hand using the bottom of it like a knife. He hits Dale at the back of his neck. The force of the blow is so powerful, Dale's head is cut clean off. His lifeless body falls on the ground like a sack.

The fight is over.

Stefan drops the blood covered stick on the ground, wipes the hybrids blood off his hands. Damon finally gets back on his feet without falling. He looks around. There's Kyle, right where he left him. And under his feet is Dale. Well, most of him. His head is about five feet away. Damon cannot hide his surprise.

"Two points for the bunny diet!" He says to Stefan. "I'm impressed!"

"Klaus knows." Stefan goes to the point.

"Yep." Damon answers, nudges Dale's body. "I wonder how many of these did he send in the woods to find it?"

They take a moment to look around. If there are any hybrids around, they're not coming out in the open. That's a good thing. Kyle and Dale were a handful. Any more and the two brothers would have been lying dead on the ground.

* * *

><p>Klaus is in his art room. Cell phone leaned against his ear. Calling Kyle. But all he can hear is the ringing. The answer doesn't come. He drops the phone down, starts pacing up and down the room. The scared little boy is back.<p>

Klaus thinks it through.

He warned Kyle and Dale about Stefan and Damon coming in the woods. Since they're not answering his calls, logic dictates there is only one reasonable answer. Kyle and Dale did in fact run into the Salvatore brothers, but the encounter didn't play out as Klaus had hoped for.

And that makes him really angry.

"Must I do everything myself?" He growls.

He storms out of the room. Time to get his hands dirty.

Abby stands in front of the mirror. She's wearing her lapis lazuli necklace. Bonnie and Caroline dropped it off earlier but they had to go. But that's not what she's staring at. What has her completely attention is her face. It's different. Eyes are bloodshot, veins popped out all around them, and she has fangs.

She backs away from the mirror, closes her eyes, scared of her own image.

"Breathe, Abby." She says to herself. "Just breathe. You can do this."

And with it, her face turns back to normal. She slowly opens her eyes, approaches the mirror again. She turns her head left and right. Eyes look normal. Veins are gone too. She lifts her top lip. No more fangs. Just regular old Abby. She sighs in relief. When.

She hears a sound. It's coming from the porch. Something gets knocked over.

Abby quickly turns toward the front door. Without even being aware of it, her vampire face is back on. She spends a moment listening, but she can't hear anything. She notices her face in the mirror. Crap. So she does her breathing exercise again. Her vampire face disappears.

But the sound goes off again.

Abby, with little more confidence, walks up to the front door. She scans the street, left and right, but no one is there. Her ears are picking up things they normally wouldn't. She can hear the TV from the house across the street, voices of people in the house next to it, cars driving down the street she can't even see. Weird, but kind of awesome.

So she steps out on the porch. She takes a deep breath and gets her hearing under control. This is not as hard as she thought it would be. And for that reason, a smile flies over her face. She motions to go back to the house. But it's too late.

Klaus appears with a whoosh.

His hand is already on Abby's throat. He slams her against the house. Abby's vampire face springs back up, more like a reflex. But she's staring at the exact same face from Klaus. He measures her, can't seem to recognize her.

"Where is she?" Klaus snarls at her.

"What?" Abby manages to squeeze a question, scared shitless.

"Bonnie Bennett?" Klaus asks, moves in closer. "Where is she?"

Despite her fear, Abby resists. She won't tell him anything. Klaus smiles. He can sense she is a new vampire. She's weak. No matter how much she struggles, she can't shake off an original. And with that, Klaus comes up with a plan.

He looks Abby in the eye. His pupil dilates. Abby's responds in the same way. Compulsion.

"Tell me everything." Klaus whispers.

Abby goes limp. She is completely his.

* * *

><p>Stefan and Damon reach the last hilltop.<p>

It's bare, treeless and constantly slapped by the cold wind. They have spent an entire day looking for the white oak, going from one hilltop to the next. Each time, their efforts resulted with nothing but a nice view of the forest. But not this time.

They finally found something. Twenty square shaped stones sticking out of the ground, aligned in a perfect circle. Just like Bonnie described it. With one small but extremely crucial difference. There is no sign of the white oak. Only the stone plate.

"Well, that's disappointing." Damon adds in his style.

They walk around and examine all the stones. It gets worse.

"I don't see any symbols on these stones." Damon says. "She said there would be symbols, right?"

"Yeah." Stefan answers in his gloomy fashion.

He kneels next to one of the stones, runs his hand over the face of it. It's perfectly flat, not even a dent. One would expect time and weather would damage the stones, but that's not the case with these. They're perfectly flat. Like marble.

"Now what?" Damon asks.

Cell phone rings. Damon realizes it is his. He pulls it out and is immediately shocked by the name on the display.

"It's Bonnie." He says to Stefan.

Both of them are confused. Why is she calling Damon. Stefan pulls his cell phone out of the pocket and realizes why. The log Dale threw on his shattered his cell phone. He shows it to Damon. That's explains it.

"Hello." Damon answers and immediately rolls his eyes. "She wants to talk to you."

He throws the cell phone to Stefan. And at the same time listens carefully.

"Why aren't you answering?" Bonnie asks.

"My phone is dead. Hybrids." He says.

"Hybrids?" Bonnie asks, honestly surprised.

"Long story." Stefan switches the subject. "We found the stones."

"And the tree?" Bonnie asks.

"It's not here." Stefan says, watching the stone plate in the center of the circle.

"I was expecting that." Bonnie says.

Damon rolls his eyes hearing that.

"Then why the hell did she send us out here?" He shouts toward Stefan who covers the cell phone microphone.

"How did it go in the cave? You found anything?" Stefan asks.

"You need fire to find the tree." Bonnie says.

"I don't follow." Stefan admits.

But Damon does. With a vampire super speed whoosh, he disappears off the hilltop. It takes about five seconds for him to come back. He has a bundle of dry twigs and branches in his hands. He walks up to the stone plate and throws them down.

"Start a fire at the center of the circle." Bonnie starts explaining. "There should be a stone plate there. Start a fire on it and look at the square shaped stones. You should see a circular symbol on one of them. It should point you in the right way."

Stefan realizes what these rocks are.

"It's a compass." His thoughts run away from him.

"Yes." Bonnie says over the phone. "After you start the fire, you should see this symbol on one of the stones."

The phone makes a _beep_. Stefan takes a look at the screen. He just received a photo. It's the one Bonnie took in the cave. The same symbol that gave her the second vision.

"Alright." Stefan says. "Hang on."

He walks up to Damon who already piled the twigs on the stone plate. But neither of the Salvatore brothers smoke. That means no matches or lighters. No worries. Damon starts rubbing two sticks against each other. A human would take about one minute, maybe two, to start a fire this way.

But not a vampire.

Damon rubs the sticks with amazing speed. In about three seconds, they begin to smolder, and just like that, they burst into flame. He shoves them into the pile. And voila. Fire begins to burn. Stefan and Damon step away, start looking around.

The flame grows as other twigs catch fire. Stefan and Damon keep scanning the stones, waiting for something to happen. But nothing does. Not a single symbol shows up.

"Nothing is happening." Stefan says in the phone.

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asks, honestly confused.

"We're not seeing any symbols." Stefan says.

"I don't understand." Bonnie stutters. "It should work. That's what I saw in the vision. Fire destroyed the white oak, fire should find it."

"I don't know what to tell you Bonnie." Stefan says with a sigh. "It's not working."

A long beat of silence goes by.

Salvatore brothers stand on the hilltop. Both of them are crushed. They've spent the entire day looking for this hilltop and these stones, and when they finally found them, when they finally came this close to the white oak, nothing happens.

"It's not working." Stefan says in the phone. His voice trembles. Spirit broken.

He hangs up. He looks at Damon who feels the exactly same way, only he hides it better. This was a waste of time. And it sounded so good. The white oak, the one thing that can help them get rid of their biggest problem. So close, yet so far.

"Let's go home." Damon says.

They start walking, slowly leave the stones behind.

Neither of them is aware that someone is watching them. A figure lingers in the shadow of the forest surrounding the hilltop. He watches Stefan and Damon as they slowly descend. They enter the forest and the shadows engulf them. And just like that they're out of sight. Finally, the figure emerges from the shadow.

Elijah.

* * *

><p>Klaus falls in out of nowhere.<p>

He lands on his feet in a narrow underground corridor. This is the same place Elijah jumped in with Elena a few days ago. Klaus walks down the corridor. His face transforms, eyes turn red, veins pop out, fangs drop down. He's furious.

He's here to kill Bonnie.

He navigates the confusing maze of underground corridors, but he looks like he knows where he's going. And it's not long before he gets there. But the invisible barrier on the entrance makes it impossible for him to get in.

He looks around. Esther's casket is still in here, few candles still burn. But Bonnie is nowhere to be seen. Abby told him she would be here, albeit unwillingly. He had hoped to sever the line that feeds Stefan and Damon all the valuable information about the white oak. But he won't get a chance to do that now.

He smells the air. He can still sense her. But there is something else in the air. A scent he is far too familiar with.

Caroline.

He realizes the flaw in his plan. But at the same time, he sees yet another way to gather information. He turns to leave, when something catches his eye.

On the far wall of the cave. In the midst of dozens of symbols, his eye accidentally caught one he recognizes from somewhere. It's the same symbol Bonnie was watching not long ago. But unlike Bonnie, Klaus knows exactly where he saw it. And it's as if his eyes are wide open.

He turns around. And with a whoosh, he's gone.

* * *

><p>Hilltop is silent.<p>

The fire Stefan and Damon had started is almost done. The twigs have supplied all the fuel they could. A slight breeze and the flame will go away.

Elijah walks up to the stone plate. Whatever he's been planning in secret was leading him to this hilltop. He didn't expect to see Stefan and Damon here, but judging by the way they walked away, they didn't find what they were looking for. And that suits him just fine.

Just to be safe, Elijah spends a moment in complete silence. He listens. The wind howls, woodland animals sing their songs, but other than that, there is no one around. Time to get to work.

He reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a small airplane bottle. It's filled with some sort of white powder. But it's not just white powder. It's an important piece of the puzzle Stefan and Damon came to the hilltop without.

The ash of the white oak.

Elijah kneels next to the fire the Salvatore's had started. The flame is slowly dying out. Won't be long before it's completely gone. That forces Elijah to hurry up. He steps off the stone plate, opens the bottle and pours a teaspoon of it on the small flame. Suddenly.

The flame erupts. There are barely any twigs left to fuel it, but it doesn't matter. Because this isn't a normal flame. It burns with a bright white color and it illuminates the entire hilltop. But it does even more.

The square stones come to life. The symbols on their faces begin to pulsate. At first, they are barely there. But they keep pulsating, stronger and stronger with each pulse. And suddenly, Bonnie's vision becomes a reality. Just as she saw it.

The white flame on the stone plate. The pulsating symbols on the square stones.

Elijah reaches into his jacket, pulls out a piece of paper he ripped out from Klaus's book. He unravels and starts looking at the symbols on the square stones. He compares them with the symbol on his drawing.

And he finds it. Pulsating with a steady beat on a rock facing west.

The same symbol Bonnie saw in the cave that gave her the second vision. The same symbol Klaus recognized. On its own, the symbol means nothing. But it carries an enormous importance. Because that is the symbol that points the way just like the needle on a compass. Except this symbol doesn't point north, it points toward the white oak.

_Lost in the fire. Found in the fire._

The white oak lost in the fire can only be found by the fire of the white oak. In this case, the ash of the white oak. That is one very important piece of the puzzle Stefan and Damon came up here without.

Elijah sighs with relief. It worked.

He heads west, walks past the square stone on which the circular symbol still glows. The moment he steps out of the circle of stones, the white flame on the stone plate disperses into thin air. All the symbols on the square stones vanish. And the hill becomes dark and silent again.

Elijah keeps walking.

* * *

><p>Mystic Grill is packed.<p>

Young and old are here to enjoy their Friday night. Music is blaring, drinks are going about, everyone is having a good time. Except for two sour faces sitting at the bar. Stefan and Damon. While Damon is enjoying a glass of bourbon, Stefan is drinking a soda.

Damon is perplexed. He stares at Stefan's glass which contains a soda.

"Who comes to a bar to drink soda?" He asks, his confused tick goes off. "That's just wrong. There should be a law that prohibits serving sodas in a bar. Kind of like prohibition only for non-alcohol beverages."

"I'm not in the mood for drinking." Stefan says, takes a sip of his soda.

"You don't drink because you're in the mood." Damon lays down his philosophy. "You drink to get out of your present mood. For example, you drink to forget that you've just spent an entire day roaming around the woods like fellowship of the _tree_, looking for a magical oak that can end the life of a big bad hybrid and restore piece to the Middle Earth."

Both of them sigh. That just about sums up their day. They're tired, beat, and nowhere near to finding a solution for their Klaus problem. In other words.

"This has been a shitty day." Damon says what they both think.

And it gets worse. Cause Damon notices Bonnie and Caroline walk in the Grill. He rolls his eyes. Grabs his bourbon and drinks it in one go.

"Here comes the party pooper." He says, nodding toward the entrance.

"What?" Stefan looks at him, confused.

"Little witch is here." Damon says, nods toward the entrance.

Stefan looks over his shoulder, notices Bonnie and Caroline had just entered the Grill.

"I think I'm the last person she wants to see right now." Damon goes on. "You know, dead undead mother and all. So, I'll take my leave and the two of you can confab about our glorious failure without me. You can fill me in on your new and improved and probably equally futile plan to find the magic tree. I'm out of here."

Damon grabs his jacket, heads for the exit.

"Try not to kill anyone on your way home." Stefan adds.

"Say NO to fur." Damon pokes back

There is an awkward moment as Damon walks past Bonnie and Caroline. Stefan just waits for some kind of an incident, but fortunately, nothing happens. He gets up from the bar, sits at a free table nearby. Bonnie and Caroline join him.

"Where is he going?" Bonnie asks about Damon.

"He thought you'd be uncomfortable around him so he's heading home." Stefan answers.

"He thinks?" Bonnie acts surprised.

This puts a smirk on Stefan's face.

"So, you found the stones?" Caroline asks.

"Yeah." Stefan says, still feeling bummed out.

"I really thought the fire would work." Bonnie says. "I don't understand what happened."

"Maybe we missed something." Caroline adds. "Maybe you need to do some kind of a spell or something."

"Or this was a dead end to begin with." Bonnie says.

"I don't think that's the case." Stefan expresses his opinion. "You wouldn't have had the vision if it wasn't important. And we wouldn't have ran into hybrids ."

"What were they doing there?" Bonnie asks.

"You mean besides trying to kill Damon and me?" Stefan asks. "They were looking for the white oak."

"So it's true." Caroline looks at Bonnie. "Klaus knows about it."

"I didn't see him in my vision for no reason." Bonnie says. That first vision is still in her head. She can feel his grip on her neck.

"If you saw him and those stones, then we must be on the right way." Stefan concludes.

"I'm out of ideas." Bonnie admits.

"We could go to the hilltop tomorrow." Stefan suggests. "Maybe you'll have another vision up there. It might tell us what we're missing. Would you be willing to do that?"

"Like I said." Bonnie begins. "If it gets Klaus out of our lives, I'm in."

Caroline heard this differently than Stefan. But she keeps quiet. She had seen the other side of Klaus and a part of her thinks he can be reasoned with. But she's not about to talk about that right now. Bad timing and all.

For a long beat, the trio sit at the table, drinking their sodas, lost in their thoughts. Stefan pulls his broken cell phone out of the pocket. And just as he does, it hits him.

"Have any of you seen Elena today?" He asks.

Caroline shakes her head. She briefly looks at Bonnie, knowing Elena is not her favorite topic right now. But Stefan notices it. He won't shy away from it.

"It wasn't her fault, Bonnie." Stefan says.

"No. She didn't turn Abby into a vampire." Bonnie agrees. "But she's the reason that happened."

"Klaus is the reason that happened." Stefan puts his perspective on the table. "All this is about Klaus."

"Is it?" Bonnie asks, a bit of fire in her eyes. "Because if Elena wasn't around, Klaus wouldn't be either. I know how you feel about her Stefan, I know you'll never see things from my perspective. But ever since Klaus showed up, it wasn't Elena who got hurt. It was the rest of us."

"Are you sure about that?" Stefan asks, coldly.

Bonnie spends a moment thinking about it. A part of her is still angry at Elena. But the other part, the best friend part, feels sorry. Elena may be the center of every vampire and hybrid mess in Mystic Falls, and people got hurt while trying protect her. But to say she never got hurt herself would be a lie.

"This morning, Damon nearly broke a glass of bourbon on her head." Stefan says.

Bonnie and Caroline look at Stefan, not sure whether or not to believe that. But by the look on Stefan's face, it's clear he's telling the true.

"She came to talk to him about Abby." Stefan says, looking at Bonnie. This resonates with her but she stays cold.

"They got into an argument and Damon lost it." Stefan goes on. "He didn't hit her, but he put her through the wringer. She's been calling me the whole day but I've been busy. She can't talk to Damon cause he's still upset. She can't call Caroline because she's helping you (Bonnie) with Abby. Where does that put her?"

This lingers in the air. Caroline feels bad. A part of her wants to call Elena right now. But she can't do it in front of Bonnie. Silence blankets their table. Bonnie doesn't know how to respond to this. Like Elena's best friend or like someone who's very angry at her.

"That's not my problem." Bonnie says, choosing the later.

The silence hovers over their table again. Stefan looks at Caroline who bows her head down, avoids looking at him in the eye. She feels terrible right now. Bonnie looks straight through Stefan. She keeps her indifferent face on. She won't back down. There's been enough of that on her part.

Stefan looks at her. He finishes his soda, gets up and grabs his jacket. Just before he leaves, he turns to both of them. There is something he wants to say. But he can't find the words. So he walks away.

Bonnie and Caroline sit in silence.

* * *

><p>Elena gets out of the bathroom. She took a shower, brushed her teeth, ready for bed. This has been a very depressing day. The sooner she falls asleep, the sooner it will be over. She walks out of the the bathroom. Jumps, frightened.<p>

Damon stands next to the open window. His back turned to Elena, staring out the window. Elena feels uneasy about his presence. Maybe a tad bit scared.

"What are you doing here?" She asks.

Damon turns around. He looks crushed. Not drunk or physically tired, crushed. The look on his face is nothing like the bad Damon that's been going around. This is hurt Damon, similar one who got his heart ripped out by Katherine. And not long ago Elena. He avoids looking her in the eye.

She keeps her distance.

"I wanted to see how you were doing." He asks.

Elena is dumbstruck by the question. After their argument this morning, the last thing she would think he is worried about is her feelings.

"I've been better." She throws a generic line out there.

"That makes two of us." Damon says.

Damon finally manages to look her in the eye. This is really bothering him. Forget the bad Damon. This is confused Damon, not in his usual _winky_ and _flirty_ way. Really confused.

"What is is about me that you hate so much?" He asks.

He really doesn't understand. She doesn't love him, she doesn't hate him. Where does that put him? Elena pauses, again, tries to find the right words. One wrong thing might send him on another rampage.

"I don't hate you Damon." Elena begins. "I just don't know who you are half the time. Sometimes, you're the good Damon, the guy that helped me when I needed him the most. Other times, you're the Damon from this morning. Out of control. Scary."

That hurts him. _Scary_. She thinks he's scary. That's the last thing he wants her to think about him. And he has this morning's argument to blame. It bugs him, what he did. He barley squeezes that out.

"I'm sorry." He says. "I don't know what happened."

"I do." Elena says. Fear completely out of her system.

She finally gathers the courage to walk up to him. Again, he has a hard time looking her in the eye. His eyes keep jumping left and right, just not on her. Elena puts her hands on his cheeks, forces him to look at her. Their eyes finally meet.

"What I said to you at the ball was…" She stops, looking for the right word. "A lie."

But Damon already knows that. Stefan filled him in earlier. That is one reason why he's here. Just like she was at the boarding house this morning. To clear things out.

"You were wrong." Damon says. "I do care, Elena."

"I know you do." Elena agrees. "Maybe even too much. When I said that that's the problem, that's what I meant."

"There's an interesting turn of events." Damon does his ticks. "Me caring too much. And it's a bad thing."

"No, Damon. It's not a bad thing." Elena explains her point. "But in your care, you don't allow people to make their own decisions. You think you know what's best from them."

"I just wanted to…" Damon begins.

"Protect me. I know." Elena finishes his sentence. "And I'm grateful. Don't for one second think otherwise. But you can't protect me by locking me up and hiding me from the world. You can't protect me from living my life. You can't stand in my way every time I decide to do something that might be dangerous. That's not love, Damon."

"I just…" Damon begins, thinks it through. "I can't stand the thought of you getting harmed. It hurts me. What hurts even more is knowing that I've done something to hurt you. It breaks me."

"You didn't hurt me, Damon." Elena says, knows he's talking about this morning.

"That's the thing, Elena. I almost did." Damon admits. "I wanted to."

"You reacted to what I said. It's normal." Elena says.

"Your definition of normal needs revision." Damon can't resist a joke.

"A thousand years old hybrid wants to use my blood to raise an army of hybrids to conquer the world." Elena pretends to think about it, shrugs. "No, my definition of normal is just about right."

They both smile. And just as things heated up between them, they cool down. Damon feels easier about himself, about what he did this morning. This was a fruitful visit. He steps to the window, but something else is on his mind.

"I meant it, you know?" He says.

"What?" Elena asks, not sure what he means.

"What I said at the ball." Damon reminds her.

This catches Elena off guard.

"I tried not to." Damon begins explaining. "I tried to fight it, for Stefan's sake. But I can't help it any more than he can't."

He looks at her, the true Damon. No winking, no ticks, no eye maneuvers. He looks at her as if she's the only woman in the world, the _only one_ who knows the real him, even more than his own brother. In more ways than one, that's exactly what she is. The only one.

"I love you." Damon says.

Elena swallows hard. She knows. He already said it. Only last time, she responded in the heat of the moment. And it didn't end well. But now, with a cool head, she can pick the right words. She can say what she means.

"I love you too, Damon." Elena replies. "But it's…"

"I know." Damon interrupts her. That typical Damon smirk comes to his face. He already knows what she'll say.

"It'll always be Stefan." He adds.

Elena doesn't know how to answer to this. Damon puts his brave face on, but he can't hide what's underneath it. This is a stake to his heart. He sarcastically smirks.

"I just can't catch a break." Damon says. "Again."

"That doesn't mean we can't…" Elena begins.

"Be friends?" Damon finishes her sentence, frowns at it. "That's what it always comes down to, doesn't it? Being friends."

Again, Elena doesn't know what to say. She knows she just hurt him. But something she just can't change. Damon was there for her, there was something between them, but he came too late. A part of her knows if he was there first, the roles between Stefan and Damon would have been reversed.

It would have always been Damon.

"Before we start that whole friendship thing…" Damon begins. "Can I have one last request as a non-friend?"

"Of course" Elena asks.

Damon walks up to her. Their bodies are so close they're practically one. She sees where this is going. It's in his eyes. He's burning with desire for it.

"If I can't get an eternity with you." Damon says. "I'll settle for a moment."

Damon moves closer. His hand slowly rests on her cheek. He can feel her heart racing. She doesn't want to back away. So she moves in toward him. Their lips meet. Felling fireworks is an understatement. This kiss is more like splitting atoms. And it feels so right.

They end the kiss, watch each other in the eye. It's the kind of kiss you give to the person you love when you know it might be your last. The kind that matters. And it matters for the both of them. That much is obvious.

Damon moves away, takes one more second to look at her. Elena answers kindly. As she blinks, a surge of wind flies through her room. She opens her eyes but he's gone. She sits on her bed. Her gaze drifts away to a point on the wall.

She can still feel that kiss on her lips.

* * *

><p>Damn walks in the boarding house.<p>

He throws his jacket on the sofa, heads for the mini-bar. His walk is the one of a man who has no purpose. He grabs a glass, pours himself a full shot of bourbon. Elena on his mind, that kiss lingers on his lips, exchanged words roaming through his head. Before going to visit her, this was a shitty day.

It didn't get any better.

He stands in front of the fireplace, takes a solid sip. He watches the flames dance around, feels the heat on his face. But he feels something else on his back.

"When did you get home?" Damon asks.

Stefan is standing behind him.

"Half an hour ago." He answers, measures Damon. Something about him is off.

"How did the little witch talk go?" Damon keeps on.

"It went well." Stefan begins. "We're gonna go to the hilltop tomorrow. Bonnie might have another vision there. Maybe it'll show us what we've missed."

"You're reaching for straws, brother." Damon says.

"At least I'm reaching." Stefan says.

Damon smirks, lifts his glass up as a gesture of accepting the point.

"Touché." He says, thinking about something else.

He takes another sip. Stefan turns to walk away, but he stops. Something on his mind. He wasn't at the Mystic Grill for that long. Damon should have been home before him, but he wasn't. With everything that has happened today, it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together.

"How is she?" Stefan asks.

Damon feels the sting. His visit still fresh in his mind.

"Oh, you know Elena." Damon begins, his twitchy mannerism back in action. "I love her, she loves me back."

He turns around, looks at Stefan. "But she loves you even more." He says. Puts a fake smile on his face. "Same old same old."

A part of Stefan is hit by this. His thoughts wonder to Elena. But he quickly comes back to the living room. Because the other part of him is worried. Whenever Damon got burned, he went off on one of his rampages. Those never ended well for anyone involved.

"You alright?" Stefan asks, honestly worried.

Damon hears the honesty, but he plays it bitter. He hides the fact he's hurt under his usual mask. He throws an indifferent look at Stefan.

"What do you care?" He asks. "You won. Again. First with Katherine, now with Elena."

Stefan is lost for words. Damon just bottoms up his bourbon, drops it on the table, heads out of the living room.

Stefan wants to say something, but he doesn't know what. Just like this morning after Elena and Damon had a fight. No matter how much he wanted to say something to make it better, there were no words that could do that. Just like now. All he can do is feel sorry for Damon.

Damon is on his way out of the living room. He stops next to Stefan. He's torn between saying something or just walking away. But his big brother side kicks in. He eyes meet Stefan's. Another face off but with no antagonism. More like honesty. Brother to brother.

"She loves you, little brother." Damon begins. "Do something about it before it's too late."

He taps Stefan on the shoulder. This was a big move from him. He walks away.

Stefan stands there, frozen in the spot. This was atypical Damon. But his words are sound. Stefan thinks of Elena, what he did to her, what he's still doing. Maybe he should snap out of it. Enough of the _bad boy_ Stefan act. There's only so long he can lie to himself and only so long she will tolerate it.

He loves her. She loves him. It's not rocket science.

No more games.

* * *

><p>Klaus storms in the living room.<p>

He attacks his work table, picks up books, throws them over his shoulder. He keeps doing that with books he knows are not relevant. Those he suspects, he browses throe. If he doesn't find what he's looking for, the process is the same. He throws the book away. Keeps going. Furious.

Finally, he picks up the old book with thick leather covers. He starts going throe it, slowing down with every page. This is the book. He keeps going, page after page, eyes scanning them as he looks for it. And he finally stumbles on it. Except it's not there anymore. The page has been ripped out.

He's panting. Crazed, angry. He throws the book against the wall. The force of the hit rips the book apart. Thoughts run throe his head. And it finally hits him.

"Elijah." He says, realizing.

Part of him refuses to believe, but no one else could have done it.

In a swift, anger fueled move, her throws all the books off the table. He roars so loud the house reverberates. He slams his fist against the surface of the table, makes a hole in it. Klaus is pissed. This can't be good.

* * *

><p>Elijah stares at the cave entrance.<p>

Above it is a small wallet size square stone. It has the same symbol he had seen on the paper from the book. The circle with smaller circles inside. Elijah sighs, walks into the pitch black of the cave. He leaves the pale light of the moon behind him.

The corridor is narrow and moist. It's sloped at a mild downward angle. Elijah keeps walking through the pitch black. It's not long before the entrance to the cave is nothing but a dot of light far behind him. But that doesn't matter. Because he spots a glimmer of light ahead.

He steps out of the corridor and into a vast underground cavern. It is at least one hundred meters long and wide, with a ceiling that is no less than fifty meters high. It is stunning how nature can create places like this without the influence of man.

The ceiling has been damaged, thought. Most likely the cause of attrition. A hole gapes in it, maybe ten meters in diameter, but it doesn't take away from the magic of this place. It only adds to it. Because that hole lets the moonlight in. It lights the entire cavern in a magical pale bluish light.

But that's not the best part. There is a ring of square shaped stones in the center of the cavern. Just like the one on the hilltop. And in the center of that ring rests the purpose of his nature walk.

Ash grey bark, thick main trunk reaching high toward the ceiling of the cavern. The branches spur out of it, forming a mushroom like canvas of green. At the base of the tree grow small bundles of pinkish flower, vervain.

This is it. This is the tree the natives worshiped on the hilltop, the same one Bonnie saw in her vision. This is the tree Rebekah realized still existed after the original family had left the new world. This is the tree Klaus, his hybrids, Stefan and Damon are looking for. This is what all original vampires fear. This is the one thing that can end their existence on this world.

The white oak.

Elijah walks toward it. He is equally amazed and intimidated by the site. He approaches the ring of stones, just about to step in. When, he hears something. His nose picks up the sent the moment after. His awe of this cavern dissipates. He turns around, suspicious.

Footsteps echo in the corridor leading to the cavern. And out of the darkness of the corridor, they emerge. Hybrids, six of them. They followed his scent throe the woods. He unwillingly lead them to the white oak.

All six of them head toward Elijah, their faces change. Their eyes glow, fangs come out, they step toward him in their hybrid forms. They do not intend to let him walk out of here alive. Elijah backs up until he hits the square stone. Nowhere to go.

His face transforms into his vampire likeness. The hybrids spread out, slowly encircle Elijah against the ring of stones. This is not a fair fight. Six against one.

But Elijah doesn't seem worried. Matter fact. A smile flies over his face. Six against one? No, it's not a fair fight.

For the hybrids.

THE END

* * *

><p>DEDICATED TO<p>

The Vampire Diaries fans of from

This story was inspired by and written for them.

To kill the time until the show is back on air.

SPECIAL THANKS TO

Dimster

For ideas and moral support.

If the story is bad, blame her.

Lie

For _cold slaps_ regarding grammar.

And for different kind of support.


End file.
